Images provided by law enforcement officials at the scene of former President Donald Trump’s rally in Pennsylvania on Saturday appear to show a suspect collapsing after Secret Service agents “neutralized” the gunman who allegedly opened fire at the rally, killing one spectator and critically wounding two more.
Authorities were still working Saturday evening to identify the suspect.
Trump suffered an apparent ear injury and was rushed to hospital with bleeding on the right side of his face and head as Secret Service agents escorted him off the stage at the rally.
After agents shielded him with their own bodies, he stood with them and raised his hands, eliciting cheers from the crowd after several minutes of gunfire and panic.
Trump claims he was ‘shot by a bullet’ in assassination attempt at Pennsylvania rally
Authorities approached the spot where the suspected gunman fell after the U.S. Secret Service returned fire during the assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump. (Source: Fox News Digital)
The attacker and a bystander were killed, and two others were injured, the Secret Service said in a statement.
Authorities said the gunman fired from an “elevated position” outside the rally’s security perimeter.
Late Saturday, the FBI announced it would be leading the investigation.
Video of protesters and police reaction after shooting at Trump rally
Republican presidential candidate and former US President Donald Trump reacts as multiple gunshots ring out during a campaign rally at the Butler Farm Show in Butler, Pennsylvania, USA, July 13, 2024. (Reuters/Brendan McDiarmid)
Images from the bloody scene show a thin man wearing a grey T-shirt who appeared to have been shot in the head.
As agents swarmed around him to protect him, Trump appeared to crouch down and clutch his ear, and can be heard saying on a microphone that the gunman, off camera view, had gone down.
Sources said a Secret Service counter-sniper shot and killed him after firing at the former president from a vantage point about 300 yards away.
Anyone with information that could assist in the investigation is asked to call 1-800-CALL-FBI.
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Republican presidential candidate and former president Donald Trump is surrounded by U.S. Secret Service agents during a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, Saturday, July 13, 2024. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
Trump said in a statement that the bullet “passed through” the top of his right ear. The attack came just minutes after he spoke at a rally at Butler Farms in Butler County, Pennsylvania.
“I want to thank the United States Secret Service and all law enforcement for their swift response to the shooting that occurred in Butler, Pennsylvania,” Trump said.
The illustration shows a bird’s-eye view of a Trump rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, and the perspective of an alleged assassination plotter. (Fox News)
“Most importantly, I would like to express my condolences to the families of those who died at the rally and to those who were seriously injured. I cannot believe that such acts could happen in our country.”
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Police officers act during a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on July 13, 2024. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
President Biden also condemned the attack, saying he had been briefed on it and had spoken to his predecessor and 2024 presidential rival after it happened.
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“We are happy to hear he is safe and well,” he said. “As we await further information, we are praying for him, his family and all those who were at the vigil.”
Fox News’ Brooke Singman contributed to this report.
