Donald Trump was rushed off stage during an election rally in Pennsylvania
Written by worldOneFm on July 13, 2024
Donald Trump was rushed off stage during an election rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on Saturday after a possible assassination attempt on the former president.
Secret Service agents swarmed Trump and ducked behind the podium. Blood could be seen on his right ear of Trump as agents surrounded him and led him off the stage to a waiting vehicle to whisk him away.
Trump is “fine,” a spokesperson said. The alleged shooter is dead, as well as at least one bystander, according to Butler County District Attorney Richard A. Goldinger.
Trump has said on social media that he was shot in the upper right ear.
He was rushed to a medical facility for evaluation; his campaign said he was fine.
An “AR-style rifle” was recovered at the scene, law enforcement officials said.
President Biden was briefed on the shooting and was “grateful to hear” that Trump is safe.
The shots rang out about 10 minutes into Trump’s speech at a fairground 35 miles north of Pittsburgh. Secret Service members jumped to the stage and surrounded Trump, leading him away. Photos and video showed blood on Trump’s ear and face.
Thousands of people attended the rally, which came just two days before the Republican National Convention begins in Milwaukee, where Trump will formally become the party’s nominee.
As a former president, Trump continues to receive Secret Service protection. As a result, his rallies involve intense security protocols, with attendees being restricted to carrying only small bags and having to pass through metal detectors when they arrive.
The shooting at the Trump rally is officially being investigated as an assassination plot on Trump, a senior defense official told ABC News.
Early evidence indicates that there was only one shooter, according to the source.
Attorney General Merrick Garland said in a statement that the FBI; Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Pennsylvania; and the Department’s National Security Division will be involved in the investigation.
“My heart is with the former President, those injured, and the family of the spectator killed in this horrific attack,” he said in a statement. “We will not tolerate violence of any kind, and violence like this is an attack on our democracy. The Justice Department will bring every available resource to bear to this investigation.”
-ABC News’ Pierre Thomas
