Gunman rejected by high school rifle teampublished at 10:07 British Summer Time 15 July
![A 2020 High School yearbook shows the photo of Thomas Matthew Crooks](https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/ace/standard/640/cpsprodpb/vivo/live/images/2024/7/15/cc4e8c7b-db12-43d3-870a-974b5c7d4a61.jpg.webp)
Thomas Matthew Crooks pictured in his 2020 High School yearbook
As we've been reporting, Thomas Crooks, the 20-year-old gunman who was shot dead at the scene, was rejected from his high school rifle team.
A classmate has told ABC News that Crooks was asked not to come back to the team after a preseason session.
“He didn't just not make the team, he was asked not to come back because how bad of a shot he was, it was considered like, dangerous," Jameson Myers said.
Another member of the team recalled how Thomas Crooks "shot terrible" and "wasn't really fit for the rifle team".
The school district said there was no record of Crooks trying out for the team and he "never appeared on a roster".
Crooks did, however, belong to a local shooting club - the Clairton Sportsmen's Club - for at least a year.