Donald Trump was reportedly targeted in an assassination attempt at a Pennsylvania rally on Saturday, law enforcement officials confirmed.
The incident is being investigated as an attempted assassination of the former president and leading Republican nominee.
With blood on his ear, Secret Service agents quickly escorted Trump away, and his campaign later assured he was “fine.”
The attacker, who the Secret Service killed, marked the first assassination attempt on a president or presidential candidate since Ronald Reagan in 1981.
Here’s what we know about the alleged shooter:
Photo from Getty Images of the alleged shooter, who was killed by the Secret Service, according to a source from the agency, reported CNN, on July 13, 2024, in Butler, Pennsylvania, United States.
According to the Associated Press, a local prosecutor reported that the suspected gunman and at least one rally attendee are dead.
FOX News reported earlier that two others were dead but the Secret Service said two others were injured.
Law enforcement recovered an AR-style rifle at the scene, according to a third person familiar with the matter who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the ongoing investigation.
Two officials, speaking anonymously due to the ongoing investigation, confirmed that the shooter was not a rally attendee and was killed by Secret Service agents.
Witnesses reported seeing a gunman on a nearby roof, but this is based on witness testimony and not part of any official report yet.
The shooter was engaged and killed by the U.S. Secret Service counterassault team. This heavily armed tactical unit accompanies the president and major party nominees to handle active threats while other agents focus on protection and evacuation.
In a statement on social media, Trump said he was “shot with a bullet that pierced the upper part of my right ear.” It took two minutes from the moment of the first shot for Trump to be placed in a waiting SUV.
Butler County District Attorney Richard Goldinger informed CNN that, besides the spectator who was killed, another attendee is in serious condition at a local hospital.
“The shooter is dead,” Goldinger confirmed.
He mentioned that the shooter was outside the rally grounds but didn’t provide further details about the location.
“Quite frankly, I don’t know how he would have gotten to the location where he was, but he was outside the grounds, and I think that’s something that we’re going to have to figure out — how he got there,” Goldinger told CNN.
On Saturday evening, the U.S. Secret Service released a statement saying that a suspected shooter fired multiple rounds during Trump’s rally toward the stage from an elevated platform. The agency said the suspected shooter is deceased, one spectator was killed and two other spectators were hurt. FOX News reported earlier that two others were dead but the Secret Service said two others were injured.
This story is being updated. Check back for more information. This story was reported from Los Angeles. The Associated Press contributed.
