Former president donald trump said a bullet brushed your ear in a shooting at his campaign rally in western Pennsylvania, where the Secret Service says a rally attendee was killed and two other spectators were seriously injured on Saturday.
The alleged shooter is dead and the scene has been contained, authorities said. Trump, the Republican Party’s presumptive presidential nominee, is “doing well” and has received treatment at a local medical center, according to his campaign.
At a press conference Saturday night, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Pittsburgh field office, Kevin Rojek, characterized the incident as an attempted murder and said authorities were close to being able to publicly identify the shooter. He added that authorities have not yet identified a motive.
Citing five senior US law enforcement officials, NBC News reported that investigators have tentatively identified the shooter as a Pennsylvania man in his early 20s.
The shots were fired around 6 p.m. while Trump was speaking on stage at his rally near Butler, Pennsylvania, located about 30 miles north of Pittsburgh. Trump appeared to briefly cover his ear before falling to the ground with Secret Service agents. Screams were heard from the crowd as “pop” sounds rang out.
Secret Service agents then took Trump off the stage and got into a car while raising his fist in the air. Her ear appeared to be bleeding and there appeared to be blood smeared across her face.
The suspected shooter fired several shots at the stage “from an elevated position outside the rally site,” Secret Service spokesman Anthony Guglielmi said in a statement. declaration. Secret Service agents “neutralized the shooter, who has since passed away,” Guglielmi said.
As of 10:30 p.m. ET, authorities had not publicly identified the shooter or a possible motive. Four senior U.S. law enforcement officials briefed on the investigation told NBC News that the alleged shooter is a man.
In a post from Truth Social published about three hours after the shooting, Trump said he was “shot by a bullet that pierced the top of my right ear.”
“I immediately knew something was wrong as I heard a buzzing sound, gunshots and immediately felt the bullet tearing through the skin,” he said. “There was a lot of bleeding, so I realized what was happening.”
On Saturday night, Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro said Trump had left the Butler area “under the protection of the U.S. Secret Service and with the assistance of the Pennsylvania State Police.”
The FBI said it is working with the Secret Service and the Butler County District Attorney to investigate the incident as an attempted murder, NBC News reported.
At a press conference Saturday night, President Joe Biden condemned the shooting in blunt terms, calling it “sickening.”
“We cannot allow this to happen. We can’t be like this. We cannot tolerate this,” he said. “The bottom line is that the Trump rally… should have been conducted peacefully and without any problems. … Everyone must condemn him.”
Biden said he hopes to speak with Trump later in the evening. According to a White House official, he eventually did.
The president said in an earlier statement that he was grateful to know that Trump is “safe and well.”
Vice President Kamala Harris also he said she was relieved that Trump was not seriously injured. “We are praying for him, his family and all those who were injured and affected by this senseless shooting,” she said in a statement.
A doctor at the rally who identified himself as Joseph told NBC News that he witnessed a man being shot in the back of the head and falling to the back of the stands. The man appeared to have been killed instantly, he said, adding that a woman nearby also appeared to have been shot in the arm.
In a statement shortly after the shooting, Trump campaign communications director Steven Cheung said: “President Trump thanks law enforcement and first responders for their quick action during this heinous act. He is fine and is being examined at a local medical center.”
Donald Trump Jr., the former president’s eldest son, told NBC News through his spokesperson, he had spoken to his father on the phone and that he was “in great spirits.”
Shapiro, the governor of Pennsylvania, said in a statement that he has been informed of the situation and that the Pennsylvania State Police are working with local and federal authorities.
“Violence directed at any political party or political leader is absolutely unacceptable,” said the Democratic governor. “It has no place in Pennsylvania or the United States.”
Violence directed at any political party or political leader is absolutely unacceptable.
It has no place in Pennsylvania or the United States.
I was informed about the situation. @PAStatePolice are on the scene in Butler County and working with our feds and local…
— Governor Josh Shapiro (@GovernorShapiro) July 13, 2024
Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers he said his office is “in contact with security planning coordinators” for the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, which begins Monday.
Violent threats against public officials in the USA were rising. Many Democratic and Republican officials issued similar statements condemning political violence as news of the incident spread. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., wrote on X that he is “horrified” by the incident and relieved that Trump is safe. House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., said he is “praying for President Trump.”
Several Republican legislators explicitly blamed Biden It is Democrats for the shooting in statements on social media before law enforcement authorities publicly identified the shooter and his motivation.
This article was originally published in MSNBC.com
