Former US President and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump had just started addressing the sea of his supporters at the presidential campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania when a volley of "pops" blared through the rally.
Trump took to the podium at 6:02 pm on Saturday under the searing summer sun, waving at the crowd who chanted 'God Bless the USA'. He settled into his regular rally speech, pointing to a screen that displayed a chart showing an increase in illegal border crossings under President Joe Biden. "That chart’s a couple of months old," Trump told the crowd. "And if you want to see something really sad —"
He could barely finish the sentence when loud popping noises blared through the rally.
Trump immediately ducked to the ground as several Secret Service agents rushed to the stage. He was seen clutching his right ear as blood streamed from the side of his face. As the crowd screamed, half a dozen agents rushed to the stage and piled on Trump who was still kneeling behind the podium.
Law enforcement officers armed with rifles took to the stage and about a minute later, someone, possibly an agent, shouted: "Shooter is down!"
The Secret Service agents helped Trump get on his feet. His red "Make America Great Again" baseball cap was missing, his hair dishevelled as blood streaming down his face from his right ear.
"Let me get my shoes. Let me get my shoes", Trump told the agents.
"I got you sir, I got you," one agent said.
As they tried to usher him offstage, Trump said: "wait, wait, wait,". He then pumped his fist, mouthing "fight". The crowd responded with a roar, chanting "USA, USA".
As the agents surrounded Trump and moved him to a nearby black SUV, he once again turned to the crowd and raised his fist for all to see.
Secret Service said in a statement on X that they "neutralized the shooter, who is now deceased."
"US Secret Service quickly responded with protective measures and the former president is safe and being evaluated," the statement said. "One spectator was killed, two spectators were critically injured. The incident is currently under investigation and the Secret Service has formally notified the Federal Bureau of Investigation," the statement concluded.
Trump begins to address the rally, minutes before the assassination attempt | AFP
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Law enforcement officers gather at campaign rally site after bid on Donald Trump's life | AP
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Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump is helped off the stage at a campaign event | AP
I just landed and missed an assignation attempt. Holy shit. What a bad ass reaction from Trump. The election is over. He's the next president. The Dems should give up. They can't beat him now. pic.twitter.com/omtbue191d
— Dave Portnoy (@stoolpresidente) July 13, 2024
Eyewitness account
An eyewitness claimed he saw the shooter climb on the roof of a low-rise building just outside the security perimeter with a rifle. He added that he shouted to nearby police officers to alert them to the potential threat but the officers were confused and failed to respond immediately. "Next thing you know, five shots rung out," he said. "Secret Service blew his head off. They crawled up on the roof, they had their guns pointed at him, made sure he was dead, he was dead, and that was it, it was over," he told BBC.
Another Trump supporter, who was sitting in the front row, told NBC News that she heard four popping noises a few minutes after the rally got underway. "No one was concerned about us. We were only concerned about him," she said, adding that she saw someone else covered in blood. The injured person appeared to be next to a person who was "bleeding profusely" — seemingly struck by one of the gunman's bullets.
Jim Moore, a Trump supporter who was in the crowd, told Reuters that a man about five rows up from him was shot and collapsed. Moore added that he was escorted by the agents, who also tended his wounds. "The guy right behind us got shot. After they got Trump out of the way, they took him and walked him down - he was walking - they took him behind the bleachers and laid him down," said Moore, who is from Beaver County, Pennsylvania.
