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Trump safe after gunfire erupts at rally, source says shooter dead
BUTLER, Pennsylvania - Donald Trump is safe after gunfire rang out at a rally in Pennsylvania on Saturday. The suspected shooter was dead, a source said.
The eruption of gunfire sparked panic in the crowd and spattered the Republican presidential candidate with his blood, before he emerged and pumped his fist in the air appearing to mouth the words "Fight! Fight! Fight!"
The shooter was dead and the Secret Service was investigating the shooting as an assassination attempt, a source told Reuters.
As the shots rang out, Trump grabbed his right ear with his right hand, then brought his hand down to look at it before dropping to his knees behind the podium before Secret Service agents swarmed and covered him. He emerged about a minute later, his red "Make America Great Again" hat knocked off and could be heard saying "wait, wait," before agents ushered him into a waiting vehicle.
READ: Trump shot in right ear at campaign rally, shooter dead
The Secret Service and the former president's campaign said Trump was safe following the shooting in Butler, Pennsylvania, about 30 miles (50 km) north of Pittsburgh.
Live video showed blood spattered on Trump's right cheek and ear.
The shooter's identity and motive were not immediately clear. Leading Republicans and Democrats quickly condemned the violence.
The shots appeared to come from outside the area secured by the Secret Service, NBC reported, citing three US law enforcement officials.
An audience member was also dead, and another person was in critical condition, a Washington Post reporter said on social media, citing the Butler County district attorney.
The shooting occurred less than four months before the Nov. 5 election, when Trump faces an election rematch with Democratic President Joe Biden.
"President Trump thanks law enforcement and first responders for their quick action during this heinous act. He is fine and is being checked out at a local medical facility. More details will follow," spokesperson Steven Cheung said in a statement.
Trump had just started his speech when gunshots erupted and Trump and other rally attendees hit the deck. Secret Service agents swarmed around him and Trump disappeared behind the podium for about one minute before he was rushed to the waiting vehicle.
READ: Pop, pop, pop, then a bloodied Trump rushed from election rally
Trump and Biden are locked in a close election rematch, with most opinion polls including those by Reuters/Ipsos showing the two evenly matched.
Biden said in a statement: "There’s no place for this kind of violence in America. We must unite as one nation to condemn it."
Ron Moose, a Trump supporter who was in the crowd, described the chaos: "I heard about four shots and I saw the crowd go down and then Trump ducked also real quick. 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."
Moose said he then saw a man running and being chased by officers in military uniforms. He said he heard additional shots, but was unsure who fired them. He noted that by then snipers had set up on the roof of a warehouse behind the stage.
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.
"I am thinking to myself, why is Trump still speaking. Why have they not pulled him off stage," said the man, who was wearing a red Trump hat. "Next thing you know, five shots rang out."
Republicans, Democrats decry violence
Trump is due to receive his party's formal nomination at the Republican National Convention, which kicks off in Milwaukee on Monday.
"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.
Democratic Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said he was horrified by what happened and was relieved Trump was safe. "Political violence has no place in our country," he said.
A Secret Service spokesperson said on social media: "The Secret Service has implemented protective measures and the former president is safe ... This is now an active Secret Service investigation and further information will be released when available."
The venue was abandoned with chairs knocked over and yellow police tape around the stage. A helicopter flew above and law enforcement officers walked through the area, the video feed showed. Armed law enforcement officers were also seen on a roof near the stage where Trump was standing.
Biden's campaign was working to pause its television ads and halting all other outbound communication, a campaign official said on Saturday.
Trump, who served as president from 2017-2021, easily bested his rivals for the Republican nomination early in the campaign and has largely unified around him the party that had briefly wavered in support after his supporters attacked the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, attempting to overturn his 2020 election defeat.
The businessman and former reality television star entered the year facing a raft of legal worries, including four separate criminal prosecutions. He was found guilty in late May of trying to cover up hush money payments to a porn star, but the other three prosecutions he faces -- including two for his attempts to overturn his defeat -- have been ground to a halt by various factors including a Supreme Court decision early this month that found him to be partly immune to prosecution. —Reuters
