The 20-year-old was shot dead by Secret Service after opening fire at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on July 13, 2024.

At the time of his death, Crooks, who had shown a gift for engineering projects, had been working on homemade explosives. Crude bombs were found in his Hyundai Sonata in Butler (along with a drone that he used to scope out the location). Agents who visited his parents after the shooting found explosive materials in his bedroom.