Witness testimony continues to come forward following the assassination attempt at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, which left former President Trump injured.
The US Secret Service said in a press release that the suspect opened fire from an “elevated position”, killing at least one person and “seriously injuring” two others. He was shot and killed by police.
As many as five gunshots were heard as Trump spoke, and the former president clutched his right ear and fell to the ground as Secret Service agents surrounded him. Trump soon emerged, blood running from his cheek and right ear, arms raised in defiance and yelling at his supporters to “fight!”
Witnesses of the shocking scenes described confusion and chaos to Fox News and other media outlets.
Trump claims he was ‘shot by a bullet’ in assassination attempt at Pennsylvania rally
Brandon Christie, a witness at Saturday’s Trump rally, told “Hannity” that he initially mistook the “pop” of a gunshot for a loudspeaker, but quickly realized the seriousness of the situation when people began yelling.
He and his relatives quickly took cover on the ground as one of the Secret Service agents reportedly fired his gun multiple times in the direction of the gunman.
“There was blood everywhere,” he said.
Mayor John David Longo of Slippery Rock, Pennsylvania, described a “front row” to the unrest shortly after the shooting.
Longo, who was onstage when the incident occurred, said people came to the rally with smiles on their faces, but the mood outside did a 180-degree turn as the reality of the situation became clear.
“I’m speechless,” he told Fox News correspondent Alexis McAdams. “I just think right now this is a reflection of the intense hatred that many in the American public have for people who uphold conservative ideals and principles, and I’m just sad that it has come to this.”
Another witness said he heard what sounded like firecrackers before he and other attendees were ordered to stand down.
“We huddled together and started praying,” the witness said. “The woman in front of me, lying on top of me, was crying. I just said, ‘It’s going to be OK, honey.'”
Video of protesters and police reaction after shooting at Trump rally
When Trump reappeared with his fist raised, other attendees also stood up, the woman said.
“He has been a true leader and has guided us,” she said.
Representative Blake, who was near Trump when the shots were fired, said he hoped the sound was a “joke” or fireworks.
“I turned to face the president and saw the Secret Service trying to wrestle him to the ground and then I heard something else and I thought it was a gunshot,” he said.
Blake remained adamant that he did not believe hostilities were as escalating in the US as some believe, but acknowledged he did not see something like this happening.
One witness said he “was planning to fire one shot” for Trump and tried to get video of what was happening at the venue.
The woman who was with the man claimed that she saw smoke from the gunfire and ran into the crowd as soon as they were allowed to stand, searching for her son and daughter-in-law.
Another woman, whose son was close to one of the slain protesters at the rally, appeared visibly upset and emotional as she recalled the incident.
“I called him as soon as I heard what had happened and he just said, ‘I’m OK, I can’t talk right now’ and lay on the ground.”
Bret Baier: Trump photo now an ‘indelible image’
The woman said she didn’t immediately recognize the sound as a gunshot, but she instinctively knew something was “wrong” and “not normal.”
“Immediately people were running around trying to get away, screaming. We had no idea what to do,” she said.
Another attendee told Reuters he was “horrified” by the violence.
“It’s wonderful. It’s really wonderful. And I think people are going to be more [Trump]”…Especially with those pictures coming out,” the man said, fighting back tears.
A man at the rally told the media he was extremely upset and worried the incident could cause further division in the United States.
“Everybody stood together, everybody shouted the Our Father Prayer, everybody prayed together,” one woman joined in. “It was amazing. It was a beautiful thing.”
Faith leaders offer urgent prayers for former President Donald Trump after Pennsylvania rally shooting
Another man outside the Pennsylvania rally claimed he saw the gunman before the shots rang out and tried to call police.
“We noticed a guy crawling up the roof of the building next door, about 50 feet from us, and a bear crawling up.” The man told BBC News: “I could clearly see him holding a rifle,” he added.
Republican presidential candidate and former US President Donald Trump is assisted by security guards after shots rang out during a campaign rally at the Butler Farm Show in Butler, Pennsylvania, USA, on July 13, 2024. (Reuters/Brendan McDiarmid)
Police had reported a man crawling on the roof, but they began to wonder why he wasn’t being dragged off the stage while Trump was speaking.
“The next thing I knew five bullets were gone,” he said, telling a BBC reporter he was “100 per cent” sure the bullets had been fired by the man he saw.
“We had told the police that they were pointing him out to the Secret Service, who were watching us from the top of the barn,” he said. “Why weren’t there any Secret Service on the roof here? This isn’t a very big place.”
He said police then shot and killed the man on the roof and “the Secret Service blew his head off.”
Jake Rosen of CBS I posted a video An interview with an emergency room doctor who said he tried to save the life of someone who was in the crowd at the shooting.
“I heard gunshots,” said one man, who appeared to have blood on his shirt and was wearing a red “Make America Great Again” hat. “At first I thought it was firecrackers. Then I heard someone over there yelling, ‘He’s been shot, he’s been shot.'”
The victim had been shot in the head, was bleeding “profusely” and had “partial brain damage,” the doctor said, adding that he performed CPR on the bench.
Another man told CBS News: He was waiting for President Trump to speak when he noticed two officers “looking for something or someone” and then spotted the shooter on the roof and called police.
Other bystanders also noticed the man on the roof and again called police.
“I turned around and heard gunshots and it took me a second or two to realise exactly what it was. Then I just ran away, helped the other person with the child and got out,” he said.
woman “I was right in front of Trump.” At the time of the shooting, she spoke to NBC News about what she witnessed.
“My seat was right in front of Trump,” she said.
“I was looking him in the eyes and we heard a pop. It was about three or four minutes into the rally. We heard pop, pop, pop, four times. Four Secret Service agents immediately jumped on to the stage and we saw them shove President Trump to the ground.”
Click here to get the FOX News app
She said she heard Trump talking about putting his shoes back on.
“When they put him on the ground, his shoes must have come off. The first thing he said, we all heard, was, ‘First thing, I need to put my shoes on.’ And he stands up, and I’m looking at him head on, and I see blood red tears here. Fresh red blood. Just a few tears. And when they stood him up and turned him around, you could see the blood from the top of his ear down. It wasn’t spurting, but it was covering him. And he put his fists up. ‘Stand strong.’ And they took him away.”
President Trump posted on social media on Saturday night that he had been shot in the ear, thanked the Secret Service for their assistance, and offered condolences to the other victims of the incident, writing, “God Bless America!”
