Trump takes cover mid-rally after ‘popping sounds’
Former President Donald Trump’s rally is on hold, after “popping noises” sounded off mid-speech. Trump hits the ground, and is escorted away from his event in Butler, PA. It’s unclear what the sound was, or if there is any danger. This is a developing situation.
BUTLER, Penn. – Witnesses described the chaos that unfolded after a shooting at a rally for former President Donald Trump, including one man who said he saw a gunman on a rooftop minutes before shots were fired.
The witness, who called himself Greg, told the BBC that the man had crawled on top of the building located just outside the rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on Saturday.
“We noticed a guy crawling, bear-crawling, up the roof of the building beside us, 50 feet away from us,” Greg recalled to the BBC with what appeared to be a beer in his hand. “We’re standing there, pointing at the guy crawling up the roof. He had a rifle; you could clearly see him with a rifle, absolutely”
“The police were down there running around on the ground. We’re like, ‘hey man, there’s a guy on the roof with a rifle!’ The police were like ‘huh?’ Like they didn’t know what was going on,” the witness added.
“We’re like, here on the roof! We can see him from right here! He’s crawling!”
A screen grab captured from a video shows a person on a rooftop who was killed, according to a source from the agency, on July 13, 2024, in Butler, Pennsylvania, United States. (Photo by Hank Jenkins/Anadolu via Getty Images)
Greg, at that point, said he began thinking to himself, “Why is Trump still speaking? “Why haven’t they pulled him from the stage?”
“I’m pointing at him for two or three minutes. Secret Service is looking at us from the top of the barn, I’m pointing at that roof… Next thing you know, five shots ring out,” Greg said.
A screen grab captured from a video shows Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump appears to be injured after gunshots were reported as he is rushed offstage during a rally on July 13, 2024 in Butler, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Trump Campaign Office / Handout/Anadolu via Getty Images)
Trump injured but said to be “fine”
Trump’s campaign said in a statement that he was “fine” after the shooting. The presumptive Republican nominee was speaking on stage when bangs started ringing through the crowd. As the first pop rang out, Trump said, “Oh,” and grabbed his ear as two more pops could be heard and he crouched down.
Someone could be heard saying near the microphone at Trump’s lectern, “Get down, get down, get down, get down!” as agents tackled the former president.
Trump rushed off stage after shots fired; here’s what microphones picked up
Several shots were reportedly fired at former President Donald Trump during a Pennsylvania rally, causing screams from the crowd as Secret Service agents, noticing he was bleeding from the ear, quickly escorted him off the stage.
Trump could later be seen reaching with his right hand toward his face, which appeared to have blood trickling down.
He quickly ducked behind the riser as agents from his protective detail rushed the stage and screams were heard in the crowd of several thousand people. The bangs continued as agents tended to him on stage.
The crowd cheered as he got back up and pumped his fist.
The shooting was being investigated as an attempted assassination of the former president, the law enforcement officials told the AP on the condition of anonymity.
Secret Service update
The Secret Service, charged with protecting presidents, former presidents, and candidates, did not comment specifically on the reported rooftop gunman but did issue a statement confirming that the suspect was outside of the rally.
“A suspected shooter fired multiple shots toward the stage from an elevated position outside of the rally venue,” Secret Service spokesperson Anthony Guglielmi wrote.
The shooter was fatally “neutralized” by the Secret Service, the statement confirmed.
Senate candidate Dave McCormick recalls ‘chaotic’ moment shots rang out
Pennsylvania Republican Senate candidate Dave McCormick, who was sitting in the front row, told FOX News that it appeared someone behind him was shot.
“I was in the front row, and President Trump had just announced me… and invited me to come on the stage, and he said, ‘no have him come up in a minute or two,’ and then there were a number of shots,” McCormick recalled. “And the crowd just sort of went to the ground.”
Biden addresses shooting at Trump rally
President Joe Biden, speaking from Delaware, addressed events at former President Trump’s campaign rally today in Butler, PA where shots were fired.
McCormick said the Secret Service quickly tackled Trump to the ground, and there were “seven or eight shots.”
“It’s hard to tell whether they came from one direction or two different weapons. It wasn’t clear, at least I couldn’t tell. And sadly, someone behind me up in the bleachers was definitely wounded, and there was a lot of blood,” McCormick told FOX News. “Police came in and helped carry that person out of the stands so they could get the care they needed.”
“I’m not sure if others were injured. As you can imagine, it was all very chaotic. But it was a very scary moment,” he added.
