Investment behemoth BlackRock Inc has taken down the ad featuring Thomas Matthew Crooks, 20, who was shot dead after firing at former US President Donald Trump at an election rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on Saturday.
The move comes as the BlackRock Inc, the world's largest asset manager, is set to release its earnings report on Monday.
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The 2022 ad was filmed at the Bethel Park High School, Pennsylvania, where Crooks was studying. He and other students from the school appeared in the background of the ad, which featured a teacher, according to a statement by BlackRock.
The company revealed that it has taken down the ad, which is has gone viral on social media after the shooting. The company said the authorities would still be able to access the video.
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Calling the the assassination attempt on Trump "abhorrent", the company said, "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."
With the Trump shooting, there is a renewed focus on BlackRock, which has considerable holdings in the shares of gunmakers. The asset manager was the largest shareholder in a company that manufactured the gun used in the 2018 Florida school massacre.
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Following constant scrutiny from media, the company has set up index funds that don't include shares of gunmakers to woo investors who are not interested in owning such stocks in their portfolio. It had also held meetings with the gunmakers, whose shares it holds in huge figures, to discuss their business practices.
