A Texas YouTuber has broken his silence after it was revealed that Trump’s shooter was wearing a T-shirt from his merchandise line.
Thomas Matthew Crooks was seen wearing Demolition Ranch gear after he was shot dead during the attempted assassination at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on Saturday. The 20-year-old grazed Trump’s ear, killed one spectator and wounded two more before a Secret Service agent shot him dead.
Photos circulating since Crooks fired a volley of bullets into the former president show him wearing a gray short-sleeved Demolition Ranch T-shirt with an American flag emblazoned on the arm and block letters.
The brand is linked to Matt Carriker’s popular video channel, which focuses on showcasing guns and shooting various types of weapons.
Now the founder of Demolition farmwhich has nearly 12 million subscribers, shared his reaction when he learned that Crooks was part of his brand.
A popular Texas YouTuber has broken his silence after it was revealed that Trump shooter Thomas Matthew Crooks, 20, was wearing a T-shirt with his brand name
The gray T-shirt has an American flag on the sleeve and block letters that were partially obscured in photos from the scene
Matt Carriker, pictured, wearing the same T-shirt as the shooter. He runs the YouTube page Demolition Ranch, which has nearly 12 million subscribers.
“What the hell,” Carriker wrote in a Facebook post Saturday night, where he saw a photo of Crooks lying dead.
After Carriker learned that Crooks was supporting his channel, he took to X to explain how he had been approached by members of the media asking about his connection and whether he had ever spoken to the shooter.
“Last night was absolutely crazy… News stations are calling me asking if I ever spoke to the shooter… what… the… hell,” Carriker tweeted, clearly in shock.
Carriker, who calls himself ‘King of Demolitia’ and runs his YouTube channel channel for the last 13 years and now receives billions of views. He started the venture as a hobby in 2011.
His social media posts this weekend received 147,000 likes on Instagram and another 9,000 on Facebook.
Many loyal followers tried to convince Carriker that he was not responsible for Crooks’ actions.
Carriker appeared shocked by his unconscious connection to the shooter
Carriker’s is dedicated to exhibiting guns and shooting various types of weapons
Many of Carriker’s followers tried to reassure him that they did not blame him for the shooter’s actions
“I’m sorry your logo is associated with this. You have no involvement in these actions bro. Stay positive and keep sharing the good things you do,” Shonduras wrote.
“Unfortunately we can’t control who wears our merchandise in the wild. But people who know you know you don’t condone this type of action. At the end of the day this was a piece of trash who happened to be wearing a DR shirt,” wrote another.
“Matt, we know you don’t tolerate violence. This has no bearing on what we think of you. Your actions show your intentions,” another online poster asserted.
“The positive thing is that your shirt will be in the history books for a thousand years,” added another on X.
Many of Carriker’s videos show him experimenting with his firepower. These experiments are often extremely creative and entertaining. He combines his fascination with weapons with a dark sense of humour, which is also used by his wife and friends.
Carriker regularly posts videos of himself firing handguns and assault rifles at targets such as human dolls and vehicles.
Crooks was identified by police as Saturday’s shooter after he fired multiple shots, killing one person and wounding three others, including Trump.
Crooks reportedly registered as a Republican but made a $15 donation to a Democratic PAC in 2021.
His schoolmates described him as a loner who often wore hunting gear.
