Popular influencer ‘shocked and confused’ to discover Trump shooter was wearing his merchandise during attack: ‘It was tough’

A popular gun influencer has revealed he was “shocked and confused” to discover that Thomas Matthew Crooks, who attempted to assassinate Donald Trump, was wearing one of his T-shirts at the time of the shooting. Crooks, 20, was killed by Secret Service snipers after he opened fire, wounding Trump and two others, and killing a firefighter at a rally in Pennsylvania.

“It sucked to see that. It was tough,” influencer Matt Carriker said of Crooks wearing the shirt, in a video posted to YouTube.

“We don’t check the people who buy our shirts”

On the day of the shooting, Crooks was wearing a gray T-shirt with an American flag on the sleeve. The word “Demolitia” was written across the chest and back. The T-shirt matched the products Carriker sold through his online channel, called Demolition Ranch.

“As many of you know – and we were shocked and confused to learn – the shooter who attempted to assassinate Trump was wearing merchandise from my channel, a Demolition Ranch t-shirt,” Carriker said.

“We don’t vet the people who buy our shirts… I wish we could,” Carriker added. “I would like to prevent those types of people from buying, wearing or being associated with that type of clothing.”

Carriker, a Texas-based veterinarian who runs two gun chains. “I wish he couldn’t get a shirt, but it happened,” he said.

“I think the difference between a shooter wearing a pair of Nike shoes and a shooter wearing my T-shirt is that brand is much more personal to me than Nike is to its executives,” Carriker added. “Seeing my name next to the shooter’s name… I wish we could stop that from happening.”

Carriker added that media and other parties had called him to ask if he knew Crooks. However, he clarified that Crooks was simply a fan who had purchased a T-shirt from his online store.

Voter records showed Crooks was a registered Republican. His motives remain unclear.