Former US president Donald Trump survived an attempt on his life on Saturday (July 13 US time) when a young shooter fired multiple shots at him at a campaign rally in Pennsylvania. The bullet grazed his right ear but the shooting left one spectator dead and two others critically injured. The incident is being investigated as an attempted assassination. The male attacker, identified by the FBI as 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks of Bethel Park, was also shot and killed by a member of the Secret Service. He was registered to vote as a Republican. The incident comes days before Trump, 78, was to accept the Republican Party’s nomination for the presidential election in November. He was speaking at the packed outdoor election rally in Butler town when bullets started flying. Video footage showed him grabbing his ear as shots were fired.What Trump saidLater, Trump said the US must "stand united" and called for people to show "true character as Americans", remaining "strong and determined". Taking to his social media platform Truth Social platform, Trump said, “It was God alone who prevented the unthinkable from happening,” CNN reported. “In this moment, it is more important than ever that we stand united, and show our true character as Americans, remaining strong and determined, and not allowing evil to win,” he said. “We will FEAR NOT,” said Trump, the Republican Party's presumptive presidential nominee. He said he would remain “resilient” and added, “Our love goes out to the other victims and their families,” according to the report. A spokesperson for the Trump Campaign said the former president is “fine” after the “heinous act.” The incident took place two days before the Republican National Convention starts in Milwaukee, where Trump will formally become the party’s nominee for the November 5 presidential election. He is expected to still attend the convention. What happened at the rally? The suspect fired from between 200 ft and 300 ft away on an elevated shed with an AR-style rifle, multiple law enforcement officers told CBS News. The crowd started screaming behind him and then someone yelled “Get down, get down, get down, get down!” as Secret Service agents piled on top of Trump to shield him. The shooting created chaos with people in the back of the venue immediately running to the exits. As blood gushed from his ear, Trump was then rushed off stage. He boldly pumped his fist into the air and told the crowd to “fight!” He was then whisked away in a car to a Pittsburgh-area hospital. “Let me get my shoes,” Trump said as he was escorted to the safe place. Trump “fine” A spokesperson for the Trump Campaign said the former president was “fine” after the “heinous act.” In a post on his Truth Social social media account, Trump elaborated on what happened and described his injuries: “It is incredible that such an act can take place in our Country. Nothing is known at this time about the shooter, who is now dead. I was shot with a bullet that pierced the upper part of my right ear. I knew immediately that something was wrong in that I heard a whizzing sound, shots, and immediately felt the bullet ripping through the skin. Much bleeding took place, so I realised then what was happening. GOD BLESS AMERICA!” FBI probe In a news conference, Kevin Rojek, FBI special agent in charge of the Pittsburgh office, said it was “surprising” the gunman was able to fire multiple shots. “We’re still working through the security apparatus that the Secret Service had in place, what potentially happened,” he added. “There’s going to be a long investigation into exactly what took place and how the individual was able to get access to the location, what type of weapon he had. All that is really days, weeks, and months of investigation.” Bomb-clearing assets were deployed at the scene of the shooting out of an “abundance of caution,” said the FBI. Rojek said the crime scene was still active. Biden returns to White House US President Joe Biden spoke to Trump, his November election opponent, a White House official said. Biden also talked with Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro and Butler Mayor Bob Dandoy, the White House said. Biden was scheduled to be in Delaware for the weekend but changed his plans to return to the White House. Biden earlier said that “everybody must condemn” the suspected assassination attempt. Addressing the nation about two hours after the shooting, he said, “We cannot allow this to be happening.” Vice-President Kamala Harris and former presidents, Barack Obama, George W Bush and Bill Clinton, have condemned the attack on Trump. Harris said she was “relieved” Trump was not seriously injured. Follow this space for more live updates on the story
Former US president Donald Trump survived an attempt on his life on Saturday (July 13 US time) when a young shooter fired multiple shots at him at a campaign rally in Pennsylvania. The bullet grazed his right ear but the shooting left one spectator dead and two others critically injured. The incident is being investigated as an attempted assassination. The male attacker, identified by the FBI as 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks of Bethel Park, was also shot and killed by a member of the Secret Service. He was registered to vote as a Republican. The incident comes days before Trump, 78, was to accept the Republican Party’s nomination for the presidential election in November. He was speaking at the packed outdoor election rally in Butler town when bullets started flying. Video footage showed him grabbing his ear as shots were fired.What Trump saidLater, Trump said the US must "stand united" and called for people to show "true character as Americans", remaining "strong and determined". Taking to his social media platform Truth Social platform, Trump said, “It was God alone who prevented the unthinkable from happening,” CNN reported. “In this moment, it is more important than ever that we stand united, and show our true character as Americans, remaining strong and determined, and not allowing evil to win,” he said. “We will FEAR NOT,” said Trump, the Republican Party's presumptive presidential nominee. He said he would remain “resilient” and added, “Our love goes out to the other victims and their families,” according to the report. A spokesperson for the Trump Campaign said the former president is “fine” after the “heinous act.” The incident took place two days before the Republican National Convention starts in Milwaukee, where Trump will formally become the party’s nominee for the November 5 presidential election. He is expected to still attend the convention. What happened at the rally? The suspect fired from between 200 ft and 300 ft away on an elevated shed with an AR-style rifle, multiple law enforcement officers told CBS News. The crowd started screaming behind him and then someone yelled “Get down, get down, get down, get down!” as Secret Service agents piled on top of Trump to shield him. The shooting created chaos with people in the back of the venue immediately running to the exits. As blood gushed from his ear, Trump was then rushed off stage. He boldly pumped his fist into the air and told the crowd to “fight!” He was then whisked away in a car to a Pittsburgh-area hospital. “Let me get my shoes,” Trump said as he was escorted to the safe place. Trump “fine” A spokesperson for the Trump Campaign said the former president was “fine” after the “heinous act.” In a post on his Truth Social social media account, Trump elaborated on what happened and described his injuries: “It is incredible that such an act can take place in our Country. Nothing is known at this time about the shooter, who is now dead. I was shot with a bullet that pierced the upper part of my right ear. I knew immediately that something was wrong in that I heard a whizzing sound, shots, and immediately felt the bullet ripping through the skin. Much bleeding took place, so I realised then what was happening. GOD BLESS AMERICA!” FBI probe In a news conference, Kevin Rojek, FBI special agent in charge of the Pittsburgh office, said it was “surprising” the gunman was able to fire multiple shots. “We’re still working through the security apparatus that the Secret Service had in place, what potentially happened,” he added. “There’s going to be a long investigation into exactly what took place and how the individual was able to get access to the location, what type of weapon he had. All that is really days, weeks, and months of investigation.” Bomb-clearing assets were deployed at the scene of the shooting out of an “abundance of caution,” said the FBI. Rojek said the crime scene was still active. Biden returns to White House US President Joe Biden spoke to Trump, his November election opponent, a White House official said. Biden also talked with Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro and Butler Mayor Bob Dandoy, the White House said. Biden was scheduled to be in Delaware for the weekend but changed his plans to return to the White House. Biden earlier said that “everybody must condemn” the suspected assassination attempt. Addressing the nation about two hours after the shooting, he said, “We cannot allow this to be happening.” Vice-President Kamala Harris and former presidents, Barack Obama, George W Bush and Bill Clinton, have condemned the attack on Trump. Harris said she was “relieved” Trump was not seriously injured. Follow this space for more live updates on the story