A Texas YouTuber has broken his silence after it was revealed the Trump shooter was wearing a t-shirt from his merchandise line.
Thomas Matthew Crooks was seen in Demolition Ranch apparel after he was shot dead during the assassination attempt at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on Saturday. The 20-year-old grazed Trump's ear, killed one spectator and injured two more before a Secret Service counter assault agent killed him.
Photos circulating in the hours since Crooks fired a series of bullets at the former president show him wearing the grey Demolition Ranch short-sleeved t-shirt with an American flag on the arm and block lettering.
The brand is linked to Matt Carriker's popular video channel, which is devoted to showcasing guns and and shooting various types of weaponry.
Now the founder of Demolition Ranch, which boasts almost 12 million subscribers, is has shared his reaction to learning Crooks was in his brand.
'What the hell,' Carriker wrote Saturday evening in a Facebook posting that saw a photo of Crooks lying dead.
After finding out about Crooks endorsement of his channel, Carriker took to X to explain how he had been contacted by members of the media asking about his connection and if he had ever spoken with the shooter.
'Last night was crazy… I’ve got news stations calling me asking if I ever spoke with the shooter… what… the… hell,' Carriker tweeted, clearly in shock.
Carriker, who calls himself as 'King of the Demolitia' and has been running his YouTube channel for the last 13 years and now receives billions of views. He started the venture as a hobby in 2011.
His postings across social media this weekend received 147,000 likes on Instagram and a further 9,000 on Facebook.
Many loyal followers sought to reassure Carriker that he was not responsible for Crooks' actions.
'So sorry your logo was possibly attached to this.. you aren't attached to these actions at all bro stay positive and keep sharing the good stuff you do,' wrote Shonduras.
'Unfortunately, we can’t control who wears our merch in the wild. But people that know you, know that you don’t condone acts such as this. At the end of the day, this was a piece of trash that just happened to throw on a DR shirt,' wrote another.
'Matt, we know you do not stand for violence. This doesn’t affect what we think of you. Your actions show your intentions,' reassured another online poster.
'On the positive, your shirt will live in history for a thousand years,' added another on X.
In many of Carriker's videos, he can be seen conducting experiments using his firepower which are often extremely creative and entertaining blending his fascination with guns with a dark sense of humor that include his wife and friends.
Carriker regularly posts videos of himself firing handguns and assault rifles at targets that include human mannequins and vehicles.
Crooks, meanwhile, was identified by police as Saturday's shooter after firing off several shots that killed one person and injured three others including Trump.
Crooks was reportedly registered as a Republican but had made a $15 donation to a Democratic PAC in 2021.
Schoolmates described him as a loner who would often wear hunting gear.
