A huge American investment company has been forced to pull one of its ads following the assassination attempt of Donald Trump.
During a rally in Pennsylvania on Saturday (July 13), Trump was shot at multiple times.
Luckily the former president survived the ordeal but was left with an injured ear after one of the bullets grazed the side of his head.
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Two other rally-goers were left in critical condition and a 50-year-old man sadly died as a result of the incident.
The deceased man has since been named as Corey Comperatore. He was shielding his wife and daughters from the shooter when he died.
The shooter, who was killed by the Secret Service on the day of the attack, has been identified as 20-year-old Thomas Crooks.
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It's reported that Crooks was confronted by local law enforcement before the shooting took place, but the officer in question retreated when the young man pointed his rifle at him.
Online sleuths have since been looking into Crooks' past and investigative journalist Laura Loomer brought a 2022 BlackRock ad to light that featured Crooks.
She shared a clip of the advert on Monday (July 14), where a teacher at Crooks' former school spoke about his job.
As he does so, the teacher is seen interacting with students - one being Crooks.
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It's believed the 2022 ad was filmed at Bethel Park High School, the same year Crooks graduated.
The video has since gone viral online, sparking BlackRock to address the matter.
The investment company has confirmed that it has now pulled the ad in light of its portrayal of Crooks.
"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," the company said in an emailed statement to Reuters.
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It went on: "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."
UNILAD has also approached BlackRock for comment.
Some of Crooks' former classmates have shared some insight into what the 20-year-old was like as a student.
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According to Summer Barkley, Crooks was 'always getting good grades on tests' and was 'very passionate' for history.
"Anything on government and history he seemed to know about," she added to the BBC.
Topics: Donald Trump, News, US News
Niamh Shackleton