Former President Donald Trump was the target of an apparent assassination attempt at a campaign rally in Butler County, Pennsylvania on Saturday. The suspect, identified as Thomas Matthew Crooks, 20, from Bethel Park, Pennsylvania, allegedly opened fire on Trump before being shot and killed by the U.S. Secret Service.
According to law enforcement sources, Crooks fired as many as eight rounds using an AR-style rifle from a rooftop about 400 feet from the stage. Video footage shows the Secret Service reacting to the shooting and rushing Trump off the stage.
In a statement, Trump said he was shot with a bullet that pierced the upper part of his right ear. “I knew immediately that something was wrong and that I heard a whizzing sound shots and immediately felt the bullet ripping through the skin,” he said.
One spectator was killed and two others injured in the attack, which Pennsylvania State Police described as having scattered shots with the injured and dead spread throughout the crowd.
The shooting occurred just minutes into the rally, which Trump was holding to build anticipation around his upcoming vice presidential announcement before the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee. The rally location in the crucial battleground state of Pennsylvania hints at the significance of the event and its potential impact on the election campaign.
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The FBI is investigating the shooting as an active and ongoing case, although they have not yet identified a motive[1]. Trump condemned the violence, stating, “There’s no place in America for this kind of violence. It’s sick, it’s sick, it’s one of the reasons why we have to unite this country.”
The attack on Trump raises questions about security lapses and will likely reshape this year’s election campaign. As the investigation continues, the nation grapples with the implications of this brazen act of violence targeting a presidential candidate.