“I was shot with a bullet that pierced the upper part of my right ear,” Trump said on his Truth social media platform after the incident. “I knew immediately that something was wrong in that I heard a whizzing sound, shots, and immediately felt the bullet ripping through my skin.”
The shooter has been identified as Thomas Matthew Crooks, a 20-year-old man from Pennsylvania, The New York Post reported.
In addition to the shooter, one rally attendee was killed, and two other spectators were injured.
“… I want to extend my condolences to the family of the person at the Rally who was killed, and also to the family of another person that was badly injured,” Trump added.
The U.S. Secret Service said the incident is an active investigation and has formally notified the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
“During former President Trump’s campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on the evening of July 13th at approximately 6:15 pm, a suspected shooter fired multiple shots toward the stage from an elevated position outside of the rally venue. US Secret Service personnel neutralized the shooter, who is now deceased,” the U.S. Secret Service said in a statement.
The shooting took place just under four months before the November 5 election, where Trump is set to compete again with Democratic President Joe Biden. According to most opinion polls, including those by Reuters/Ipsos, the two candidates are neck and neck in popularity.
President Biden condemned the shooting, saying: “There’s no place for this kind of violence in America. We must unite as one nation to condemn it.”
Ron Moose, a supporter of Trump present in the crowd, recounted the scene: “I heard about four shots and saw the crowd immediately drop down. Trump also ducked quickly. The Secret Service swiftly surrounded and shielded him—it was all within a second.”
Moose described witnessing a man running while being pursued by officers in military attire. He mentioned hearing more gunfire but was unsure of its source. He observed snipers positioned on the roof of a warehouse near the stage.
The BBC interviewed an eyewitness who reported seeing an armed man with a rifle crawling up a roof adjacent to the event. This individual, whose identity was not disclosed by the BBC, stated that he and others began pointing towards the man, attempting to alert security.
“This horrific act of political violence at a peaceful campaign rally has no place in this country and should be unanimously and forcefully condemned,” Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson said on social media.
“Political violence has no place in our country,” Democratic Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said.
(Reuters contributed to this article)
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