Donald Trump injured in shooting at Pennsylvania rally
On Saturday evening, during his rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, former President Donald Trump was shot in the ear, an incident being investigated as an assassination attempt by a shooter on a nearby roof.
Trump was delivering his speech, facing to the right with his hands on the lectern, when multiple gunshots suddenly rang out around 6:15 p.m. ET.
Grabbing his right ear, Trump fell to the ground as Secret Service agents rushed to the stage, shielding him while more shots were fired.
While Trump remained on the ground, another round of shots and loud screams erupted from the crowd. About 45 seconds later, agents announced on the rally microphone, “Shooter’s down.”
“Are we good to move?” one agent inquired.
“Are we clear?” another asked.
“We’re clear!” a Secret Service agent confirmed as Trump was helped to his feet, his face and ear bloodied.
The agents were ready to escort Trump offstage to his nearby SUV, but he told them to wait. Trump raised his fist in the air, prompting cheers from the crowd, and mouthed the word “fight” three times while pumping his fist. The crowd chanted “USA!” as he was led down the stairs by several agents into his vehicle.
The shooting resulted in the death of one rally attendee and critically injured two others, all of whom were male, according to the FBI and Secret Service.
This shocking incident raises serious concerns about security and has prompted lawmakers to call for an investigation into the Secret Service’s handling of the rally. The shooting occurred just before Trump is set to accept the 2024 presidential nomination at the Republican National Convention next week.
President Joe Biden condemned the shooting as “sick” during remarks from Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, on Saturday evening, and the White House later confirmed he spoke to Trump by phone.
Source: Google (image) , Graphic: Amy O’Kruk and Renée Rigdon, CNN
Multiple shots were fired outside the rally venue.
A law enforcement source and an officer at the scene informed CNN that the shooter was positioned on a rooftop just outside the venue where Trump held his rally, to the right of the event stage. There was a significant police presence around the building.
Law enforcement officials are investigating the shooting as a potential assassination attempt.
According to the Secret Service, the shooter fired “multiple shots toward the stage from an elevated position outside the rally venue.” The shooter was killed by Secret Service agents, as confirmed in a statement from the agency.
Footage shared on social media showed the suspected shooter lying motionless on a building’s roof.
FBI special agent in charge, Kevin Rojek, stated at a press briefing hours after the incident that the FBI is “close” to identifying the shooter in what they describe as an assassination attempt against Trump. Although investigators are nearing confirmation of the shooter’s identity, they have not yet released the name. Authorities believe there is no further threat.
Rojek also mentioned that the shooter’s motive has not yet been determined.
Trump posted on Truth Social on Saturday evening, detailing the shooting and expressing gratitude to the Secret Service and law enforcement for their response.
“I was shot with a bullet that pierced the upper part of my right ear. I knew immediately that something was wrong as I heard a whizzing sound, shots, and felt the bullet ripping through the skin. Much bleeding took place, so I realized then what was happening. GOD BLESS AMERICA!” Trump wrote.
The scene was filled with blood.
At a Trump rally in Pennsylvania, Republican Rep. Dan Meuser was seated in the front row alongside GOP Senate candidate Dave McCormick and Rep. Mike Kelly. Meuser told CNN that the individual who was fatally shot was “no more than 20 feet behind” them.
“People started screaming for a medic, and it was honestly a bloody scene,” Meuser recounted.
Butler County District Attorney Richard Goldinger mentioned that his chief detective informed him the shooter was positioned on an adjacent building.
“It would have required a rifle,” Goldinger noted. “It was several hundred yards away.”
Rico Elmore, a former legislative candidate in Pennsylvania and a speaker at the rally, described to CNN how he jumped over a barrier to help an attendee who had been shot. Elmore, his white shirt stained with blood, recounted placing his hand on the bleeding individual’s head.
“All we know is shots were fired, and then I jumped over the barrier and put my hand on the guy’s head that was profusely bleeding,” Elmore said, adding that he did not know the injured person.
Though visibly shaken, Elmore was unharmed. He mentioned seeing only one attendee get hit and was unsure of Trump’s status.
Rep. Ronny Jackson, a Republican from Texas, told Fox News that his nephew was injured in the shooting. Jackson said his nephew was grazed by a bullet on the neck, causing bleeding.
Jackson’s nephew was in the “friends and family pen” to the right of the president, a bit lower down during the rally.
The Texas congressman described the incident as a “horrific, horrific experience.”
Biden: ‘It’s sick’
Biden received a briefing on the shooting in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, with Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, and Homeland Security adviser Liz Sherwood-Randall providing the details.
According to the White House, Biden had a phone conversation with Trump on Saturday evening following the shooting. He also reached out to Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro and Butler Mayor Bob Dandoy.
“There’s no place in America for this kind of violence – it’s sick, it’s sick,” Biden stated before heading back to the White House late Saturday evening. “It’s one of the reasons why we have to unite this country. We cannot allow for this to be happening. We cannot be like this. We cannot condone this.”
Lawmakers from both parties quickly expressed their shock and condemnation of the political violence after the shooting on Saturday. Leaders worldwide extended their well wishes to the former president.
“I have been briefed by law enforcement and am continuing to monitor the developments. This horrific act of political violence at a peaceful campaign rally has no place in this country and should be unanimously and forcefully condemned,” said House Speaker Mike Johnson in a statement.
“I am horrified by what happened at the Trump rally in Pennsylvania and relieved that former President Trump is safe. Political violence has no place in our country,” said Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer.
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