 "Donald Trump shooting: How former US president escaped an assassination attempt")
What started out as a joyous rally in Pennsylvania’s Butler on Saturday turned into a tragedy after former US president Donald Trump was shot in the ear in an attack that will likely reshape this year’s presidential race and fuel long-standing fears that the campaign could descend into political violence.
One spectator was killed and two others were critically injured in the shooting at the rally.
The attack was the most serious attempt to assassinate a president or presidential candidate since Ronald Reagan was shot in 1981.
Let’s take a closer look.
The assassination attempt
Trump was holding his final rally ahead of the Republican National Convention that begins Monday in Milwaukee. He had just started his speech and was showing off a chart of border crossing numbers when the shots, at least five, were fired.
He grabbed his right ear with his right hand, brought his hand down to look at it before dropping to his knees behind the podium. Secret Service agents quickly created a shield around him.
Putting on a brave face, he emerged about a minute later, his red “Make America Great Again” hat knocked off, and could be heard saying, “wait, wait,” before pumping his fist in the air, mouthing the words “Fight! Fight! Fight!”
The 78-year-old and his motorcade left the scene and he was checked into a local medical facility.
He later released a statement on his Truth Social platform thanking the Secret Service and all law enforcement.
Impact Shorts
More Shorts“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,” he wrote, adding, “Much bleeding took place, so I realized then what was happening. GOD BLESS AMERICA!”
Earlier the Secret Service said in a statement that the shooter was dead, one attendee at the rally was killed and two other spectators were injured.
The shooting occurred less than four months before the November 5 election, when Trump faces an election rematch with Democratic President Joe Biden.
Also read: Donald Trump assassination bid: What we know and don’t know of the shooting
Witness accounts
A witness at the rally told how a man next to him was shot dead.
“I heard several gunshots. The man beside me suffered a gunshot at the head, was instantly killed (and) fell to the bottom of the bleachers. Another woman looked like she got hit in the forearm or hand,” the man, whose name was only given as Joseph, told NBC News.
He said it seemed the victim was “in the way of the shots between whoever was shooting the gun and the president.”
A second witness, an unnamed man who said he was an emergency doctor, described trying to help one of the victims.
“Somebody over there was screaming he’s been shot, he’s been shot, so I made my way over. I said I’m an emergency department physician, let me help you,” said the man, who was wearing a white USA T-shirt stained with blood and a red MAGA hat.
“The guy had spun around, was jammed between the benches. He had a headshot here,” he said, indicating a spot on his head.
“There’s lots of blood and he had brain matter,” the man continued in comments that spread widely through US media.
Ron Moose, a Trump supporter at the rally, said he heard about four shots. “I saw the crowd go down and then Trump ducked also real quick,” he said. “Then the Secret Service all jumped and protected him as soon as they could. We are talking within a second they were all protecting him.”
The BBC interviewed a man who described himself as an eyewitness, saying he saw a man armed with a rifle crawling up a roof near the event. The person, who the BBC did not identify, said he and the people he was with started pointing at the man, trying to alert security.
The investigation
The Federal Bureau of Investigation is set to lead the investigation with the Secret Service and local and state law enforcement.
Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas and US Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle briefed President Joe Biden and are working with law enforcement partners to respond to and investigate the shooting, Mayorkas said on X.
“We are engaged with President Biden, former President Trump, and their campaigns, and are taking every possible measure to ensure their safety and security.”
Republican US House Speaker also said the House will conduct a full investigation of the attack on Trump’s campaign rally.
“The American people deserve to know the truth. We will have Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle and other appropriate officials from DHS and the FBI appear for a hearing before our committees ASAP.”
Shooter identified
The FBI early Sunday identified the shooter as Thomas Matthew Crooks , 20, of Bethel Park in Pennsylvania.
The Secret Service said it killed the suspected shooter, who fired from an elevated position outside the rally venue, a farm show.
The shooter had fired multiple shots from “an elevated position outside of the rally venue,” the US Secret Service said in a statement.
Two officials who spoke to The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity to discuss the ongoing investigation said the shooter was engaged by members of the US Secret Service counterassault team.
The heavily armed tactical team travels everywhere with the president and major party nominees and is meant to confront any active threats while other agents focus on safeguarding and evacuating the person at the center of protection.
Law enforcement recovered an AR-style rifle at the scene, according to a person familiar with the matter. The person was not authorized to discuss details of the investigation.
Security lapses
The shooting raised immediate questions about security failures by the Secret Service, which provides former presidents including Trump with lifetime protection.
At a briefing late on Saturday, FBI officials told reporters it was surprising that the suspect fired multiple shots. The Secret Service did not have a representative at the briefing, which included FBI and state law enforcement officials.
The attack is certain to lead to a review of Trump’s security, and going forward he will likely be provided with a level of protection more akin to a sitting president, said Joseph LaSorsa, a former Secret Service agent who served on the presidential detail.
“There will be an intensive review” of the incident and “there’s going to be a massive realignment,” LaSorsa said. “This cannot happen.”
The Secret Service had said it recently added “protective resources and capabilities” to Trump’s security detail, without providing further details.
A retired agent who worked in protective services, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the incident should spark an internal review, and ideally an external one too.
“The gravity of the situation demands thorough scrutiny to prevent such failures in the future and to ensure accountability on all levels,” said the former agent.
With inputs from agencies
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