TRUMP SHOOTER'S DARK & TWISTED WORLD

Chilling inside look at solitary would-be assassin

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Trump rises defiant after the attempt on his life

PRESIDENT Donald Trump's would-be killer Thomas Matthew Crooks lived a solitary and secretive life that spiraled into murderous madness in the months leading up to last year's shooting that was mere inches away from altering American history, sources say.

Donald Trump ducked below the podium after being wounded at a rally in Butler, Pa., on July 13, 2024

Gunman Crooks, 20, left behind no manifesto or explanation for why he unleashed a barrage of eight bullets at Trump as the then-former POTUS addressed a crowd of about 15,000 gathered at his presidential campaign rally at the Butler Farm Showgrounds in Butler, Pa., on July 13, 2024.

The triggerman's vicious volley of shots miraculously only grazed Republican candidate Trump's right ear, but killed former firefighter Corey Comperatore, 50, and wounded fellow audience members James Copenhaver, 74, and David Dutch, 57.

Former top student Thomas Matthew Crooks' mental health issues turned to suicidal mania, investigators say