BUTLER: During a Election campaign rally on Saturday, Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump was grazed in the right ear by a bullet, causing panic among the crowd and resulting in blood streaking across his face. Despite the incident, Trump emerged shortly after and pumped his fist in the air, appearing to encourage his supporters with the words “Fight! Fight! Fight!”
The shooter was dead, one rally attendee was killed, and two other spectators were injured, the Secret Service said in a statement. The incident was being investigated as an assassination attempt, an international media report stated.
“I was shot with a bullet that pierced the upper part of my right ear,” Trump said on his Truth Social platform following the shooting in Butler, Pennsylvania, about 30 miles (50 km) north of Pittsburgh. “Much bleeding took place.”
“I knew immediately that something was wrong when I heard a whizzing sound, shots, and felt the bullet ripping through the skin,” Donald Trump added. “It is unbelievable that such an act can happen in our country.”
Trump, 78, had just started his speech when the shots rang out. He grabbed his right ear with his right hand, looked at it, then dropped to his knees behind the podium as 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 vehicle.
The shooter’s identity and motive were not immediately clear. Leading Republicans and Democrats quickly condemned the violence.
The shooting happened less than four months before the November 5 election. Trump will again compete against Democratic President Joe Biden.
Joe 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 saw the crowd drop down. Trump ducked real quick too. Then the Secret Service immediately jumped in to protect him. It happened in just a second.”
Moose said he then saw a man running and being chased by officers in military uniforms. He heard more shots but wasn’t sure who fired them. He also noticed snipers had set up on the roof of a warehouse behind the stage by then.
