Thomas Matthew Crooks appeared in a 2022 BlackRock ad
Thomas Matthew Crooks, the 20-year-old gunman who opened fire at a Saturday rally for former President Donald Trump, once appeared in an advertisement for investment firm BlackRock, the company said Monday.
The ad, which was produced in 2022, was filmed at Bethel Park High School, where Crooks was a student at the time. BlackRock filmed the spot, part of a series aimed at teachers managing their retirement assets, in a classroom led by a real teacher and which featured real students. Crooks was one of those students, BlackRock told CBS MoneyWatch.
He was not paid, nor was he hired by the company as an actor.
"In 2022, we ran an ad featuring a teacher from Bethel Park High School, in which several unpaid students briefly appeared in the background, including Thomas Matthew Crooks," BlackRock said in a statement to CBS MoneyWatch. "We will make all video footage available to the appropriate authorities, and we have removed the video from circulation out of respect for the victims."
BlackRock, the world's largest asset manager, also condemned the violence that took place at the Trump rally over the weekend.
"The assassination attempt on former President Trump is abhorrent. We're thankful former President Trump wasn't seriously injured and thinking about all the innocent bystanders and victims of this awful act, especially the person who was killed," BlackRock said in a statement. The company added that it "condemns political violence of any kind."
The Secret Service fatally shot Crooks, whose motive for opening fire remains unknown. The FBI is investigating the shooting as an assassination attempt.
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Megan Cerullo is a New York-based reporter for CBS MoneyWatch covering small business, workplace, health care, consumer spending and personal finance topics. She regularly appears on CBS News 24/7 to discuss her reporting.
