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The former president, his ear covered in blood from what he said was a gunshot, temporarily arrested by Secret Service agents and their crusade, said he was “fine. ” A local prosecutor said the suspected shooter and at least one player were dead. The secret service said two spectators were seriously injured.
BUTLER, Pa. (AP) — Donald Trump appeared to be the target of an assassination attempt while speaking at a rally in Pennsylvania on Saturday, two law enforcement officials said. The former president, his ear covered in blood from what he said was a gunshot, was temporarily arrested by Secret Service agents and his crusader said he was “fine. “
A prosecutor said the alleged shooter and at least one player were dead. The Secret Service said two bystanders were seriously injured.
On his Truth Social website, about two and a half hours after the shooting, Trump said a bullet “pierced the part of my right ear. “
“Without delay I knew something was happening when I heard a whistle, gunshots and without delay I felt the bullet tearing the skin,” Array said in his message “There was a lot of bleeding, then I found out what was happening. “
The attack, carried out by a gunman who law enforcement said was later killed through the Secret Service, the first attempt to assassinate a president or presidential candidate since the assassination of Ronald Reagan in 1981. It comes in a deeply polarized political climate, just 4 months ago. He holds presidential elections and days before Trump is officially nominated as the Republican nominee at his party’s convention.
“President Trump thanks law enforcement and first responders for their quick action on this heinous act,” spokesman Steven Cheung said in a statement. “He is doing well and is currently being examined at a local medical center. More main points will follow. “
The Secret Service said the suspected shooter fired from “an elevated position outside the collection site. ” Trump is “safe and under evaluation,” the firm said.
“There is no position in the United States for this violence,” President Joe Biden, who opposes Trump as the presumptive Democratic nominee, said in a speech. “It’s sick. It’s sickening. “
Two officials spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity to discuss the ongoing investigation. They said the shooter was not at the rally and was killed through United States Secret Service agents.
Authorities said the shooter was hired through members of the United States Secret Service’s counterattack team. The heavily armed tactical team moves with the president and the main party applicants and is intended to deal with any active risks while other agents concentrate on protecting and evacuating the user to the coverage center.
— PBS News (@NewsHour) July 13, 2024
Law enforcement recovered an AR-style rifle at the scene, according to a third user familiar with the matter who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the ongoing investigation.
It is still unclear whether Trump was shot or injured when officers shot him to the ground.
Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, whose branch oversees the Secret Service, said officials were committed to the Biden and Trump campaigns and were “taking any and all steps imaginable to ensure their safety and security. “
Trump, the presumptive Republican nominee, showing a graph of the number of border crossings at his last rally before the Republican National Convention began on Monday, when the obvious gunfire began shortly after 6:10 p. m.
It took two minutes from the moment of the first shot before Trump was placed in a waiting van.
As Trump spoke, a bang rang out and the former president put his right hand in front of his right ear, while other people in the stands looked surprised.
When the first pop sounded, Trump said “Oh” and grabbed his ear as two more pops were heard and crouched down. Then more shots are heard.
Someone can be heard saying near Trump’s lectern microphone, “Crouch, crouch, crouch, crouch!” as agents attacked the former president. They piled up the most sensitive part of him from their bodies, as is his educational protocol. while other officials took positions at the level to look for the threat.
Screams were heard among the crowd of several thousand people. We heard a woman scream louder than the others. Then voices were heard saying several times “the shooter is down,” before someone asked “are we able to move?” » and “Are we clear?” Then someone ordered: “Let’s go. “
Trump may be heard in the video saying at least twice, “Let me take my shoes, let me take my shoes,” with a voice saying, “I’ve given them to you, sir. “
Trump stood up moments later and can be seen bringing his right hand to his face. There will be blood on his face. He then waved his fist in the air and gave the impression of uttering the word “Fight” twice in front of his crowd of supporters, drawing loud applause and then chants of “USA. USED. USA”.
The crowd applauded as he stood up and clenched his fist.
His caravan left the scene a few moments later. In the video, Trump turns to the crowd and raises his fist just before being loaded into a vehicle.
Journalists covering the demonstration heard five or six shots and many ducked to hide at tables.
After the first two or three explosions, other people in the crowd were shocked, but did not panic. An AP reporter at the scene reported that the noise at first sounded like firecrackers or probably a car backfiring.
But then there were more shots. Panic set in as people realized what was happening. Shouts of “Get down!” rang through the crowd.
When it became clear that the situation had failed and that Trump would not speak again, the participants began to leave the room. A man in an electric wheelchair became trapped in the box when his wheelchair’s battery failed. Others tried to help him move.
Police temporarily asked the remaining people to leave the scene and United States Secret Service agents told reporters to “get out now. This is a genuine crime scene. “
Two firefighters from nearby Steubenville, Ohio, who were present at the rally, told the AP they helped others who appeared injured and heard bullets hitting loudspeakers.
“The bullets hit around the stands, one hit the loudspeaker tower and then chaos broke out. We touched the ground and then the police converged on the stands,” Chris Takach said.
“The first thing I heard was some crackling,” Dave Sullivan said.
Sullivan saw one of the speakers hit and bullets fly and “we fell to the ground. “
He said that once the Secret Service and other governments converged on Trump, he and Takach helped two other people who had been shot in the gallery and cleared a path to get them out of the way.
“It’s just an unhappy day for America,” Sullivan said.
“After hearing the gunshots, the hydraulic line dripping everywhere, you might see the hydraulic fluid coming out. And then the perimeter tower started falling,” Sullivan said. “Then we heard another shot that I might hear, I didn’t know anything. Shoot him with bullets. They weren’t firecrackers. “
“They weren’t very loud shots,” he said.
“You can hear it falling, the ammunition falling on the metal,” Takach added.
Then they hid a farm tractor.
Sullivan said they were worried about Trump and saw him stand up.
“He stood up and made a gesture that everything was fine,” Sullivan said, raising his fist like Trump.
The dangers of the crusade have taken on a new urgency after the assassination of Robert F. Kennedy in California in 1968, and back in 1972, when Arthur Bremer shot and seriously wounded George Wallace, who was running as an independent on a questionable crusading platform. This led to increased coverage of the candidates, even as threats persisted, notably the endorsement of Jesse Jackson in 1988 and Barack Obama in 2008.
Presidents, after the assassination of John F. Kennedy in 1963, have even higher degrees of security. Trump is a rarity as a former president and current candidate.
Biden was briefed about the incident, the White House said. He got an update from US Secretary of State Kimberly Cheatle, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas and White House National Security Advisor Liz Sherwood-Randall.
He told reporters after 8 p. m. that he had not yet been able to succeed with Trump, but had been informed that the former president “is doing well. “
“I hope I can communicate with him tonight,” he said.
Donald Trump Jr. posted a photo of Trump, his fist raised and his face bloodied in front of an American flag, with the words: “He will never stop fighting to save United States. “
North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum, Florida Senator Marco Rubio and Ohio Senator J. D. Vance, the three men on Trump’s short list for vice president, were quick to send statements expressing fear for the former president, and Rubio shared a symbol taken as Trump. He was escorted off the level with his fist in the air and a smear of blood on his face with the words “God, President Trump. “
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, a Democrat, said in a statement in X that he had been notified of the situation and that Pennsylvania State Police were present at the scene of the demonstration.
“Violence by any political party or political leader is surely unacceptable. He has no position in Pennsylvania or in the United States,” he said.
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