"He was somebody who came across as lonely a lot," said Jameson Myers, who said he attended both elementary and high school with the suspect. Myers said that Crooks "tended to be more of an interesting one” and described him as "more socially reserved" and someone who "didn't have a ton of friends." But he said he never heard Crooks discuss politics or, specifically, Donald Trump.“I was friends with him- he never acted, like, by any means a political revolutionary,” Myers said, noting he was a fan of "Star Wars" and “was a very nice, even sweet guy from what I knew.”

"One thing I did know for sure was he was very smart," said another student, who told ABC News he sat behind Crooks in their AP statistics class. "I always remember hearing his test grades when we would all compare and he always did very well and math and sciences." The student continued that Crooks was "never anything but kind." "I would not say that he ever appeared as a threatening person," he continued.

Another classmate, Zoe Materkowski, said he was “just a quiet kid.” A classmate who graduated a year before Crooks similarly described him as a quiet student. “He was a loner,” said Jason Kohler. “He would sit alone at lunch.”

Another classmate who rode the same bus as Crooks and shared multiple classes with him described the suspected shooter as quiet but friendly. “I honestly can't think of a better word to describe him than normal,” said the classmate. “He just kind of stuck to himself.” The classmate added that Crooks was interested in building computers and never discussed politics. “It's just crazy, because he didn't really seem like he would be the type to think to do that,” he said about his response to learning that Crooks was the suspected shooter.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/crime/suspect-in-trump-assassination-attempt-registered-as-republican-but-motive-unknown/ar-BB1pX4WN?ocid=BingNewsSerp

excuse for murdering people. Especially people who didn't do the bullying.

for the act, except the ready availability of high powered guns. But bullying that goes on long enough can change a person's emotional and mental state to where right and wrong are clouded. Not an excuse, but like someone above said, "parental rights" seem to get in the way of any help for a youth in school, especially. Being able to step in soon enough to give the youth skills to deal with bullying could help, but parents... especially the ones who have guns at home or available and accepted... are the ones who consider any kind of "outside" help to be a conviction on their parenting style (in fact, it may BE about their parenting style!). I'm all for family counseling when it could help turn a bullied kid away from the dark side... or even for a bully to help instill in him/her a sense of compassion and empathy.

Most perpetrators of violent acts have abuse in their background that contributed to a state of mind that made violence more likely. So, it's a worthwhile point to bring up.

Analyzing this situation from all angles is important. We can't dismiss contributing factors just because we think one factor isn't the total and final reason for the act. There are always multiple causes for tragedies.

Perpetrator dude looks to me like another friendless, bullied incel with zero social skills and unsatisfactory parenting oversight. The little shit has probably changed history.

Never ceases to horrify me.

I had some very rough years following that.

It never occurred to me to shoot anyone.

For what it's worth, listening to Trump has always made me cringe. Trump's very obviously a bully and a sexual predator. I don't know what people see in him.

Absolutely no one was interested -- teachers, staff There's more awareness of bullying today. But alas, it doesn't sound like the kids have it any easier.

Dolt 45 makes his fan club feel powerful in a world that doesn't care about them and has left them behind. Just my 2 cents.