BlackRock Investment Company stated that "Thomas Matthew Crooks, the 20-year-old gunman who opened fire at a gathering on Saturday in an attempt to assassinate former President Donald Trump, appeared in a previous advertisement for BlackRock." The advertisement, produced in 2022, was filmed at Bethel Park High School, where Crooks was a student at the time. BlackRock filmed this scene, part of a series targeting teachers managing their retirement assets, in a classroom led by a real teacher and featuring real students.
According to BlackRock's statement to CBS, Crooks was one of those students. The company said, "In 2022, we featured an advertisement showing a teacher from Bethel Park High School, where several students appeared briefly in the background without payment, including Thomas Matthew Crooks." The company added, "We will make all videos available to the appropriate authorities, and we have removed the video from circulation in respect for the victims."
BlackRock, the largest asset management company in the world, condemned the violence that occurred during Trump's rally over the weekend. The company stated, "The assassination attempt on former President Trump is abhorrent. We are grateful that former President Trump was not seriously injured, and we think of all the innocent victims of this horrific act, especially the person who was killed." The company reiterated its condemnation of political violence of any kind.
The Secret Service shot Crooks, and the motive behind the shooting remains unknown. The FBI is investigating the shooting as an assassination attempt.
