Former President Donald Trump says he was shot in the ear by a gunman on the roof of a nearby building at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania on Saturday, in a horrific incident that the FBI has ruled an assassination attempt.
The shooting, which shocked the nation on the eve of the Republican National Convention, left one spectator dead, two seriously injured and threw the event into chaos. Gunfire rang out while the former president was speaking, and Trump fell to the ground with his hands over his ears. After being surrounded by agents and cornered, he rushed off the stage to a waiting car amid the screams and chaos of the crowd.
The shooting, which is being investigated by the FBI and the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Pittsburgh under the supervision of the Department of Justice’s National Security Division, occurred during an environment of heightened threat.
In a statement, the Secret Service said a gunman “fired multiple shots at the stage from an elevated position outside the rally” but that agents later “neutralized the shooter, who is now deceased.”
A police source told ABC News that the shooter was positioned on a rooftop adjacent to the venue and fired as many as eight shots from an AR-style rifle, and was about 200 to 300 yards away from the venue at the time of the shooting.
Police officials said it was “astonishing” that the suspect was able to fire so many shots, adding that he was a “very determined attacker.”
The Secret Service said in a statement that one spectator was killed and two were seriously injured. All were adult males, Pennsylvania State Police Lt. Col. George Bivens said at a press conference. The shooting was “sporadic,” and the injured and dead were scattered throughout the crowd, he said.
The FBI identified the suspect early Sunday as Thomas Matthew Crooks, 20, of Bethel Park, Pennsylvania. Law enforcement sources previously said the FBI was confident they had identified the gunman, but would not release his name due to the sensitivity of the early stages of the investigation. Initial indications were that the gunman was a lone wolf, but the situation was fluid, the sources said.
FBI Pittsburgh Special Agent in Charge Kevin Rojek previously said the FBI was investigating a motive for the shooting and trying to confirm the identity of the shooter: “This is a biometric verification issue, for example, the shooter had no identification, so we’re looking at photographs, doing DNA testing and trying to do biometric verification.”
As Trump was being escorted off the stage, he appeared to have blood coming out of his right ear and was seen raising his fist and saying “fight.”
Bivens described a “chaotic scene” where police acted “heroically.” Bivens said authorities were investigating following a report of a suspicious activity they had received prior to the shooting.
“Something went wrong,” Trump said
“President Trump thanks the police and emergency responders who acted swiftly in response to this heinous act. He is in good spirits and is being examined at a local medical facility,” a spokesman for Trump said in a statement. Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro wrote to X that he was released later that evening and left the Butler area under Secret Service protection.
In a statement posted to Truth Social hours after the shooting, Trump said he was “struck by a bullet above the right ear.”
“I knew immediately something was wrong as I heard the whoosh and gunshots and felt the bullets penetrating my skin. I was bleeding profusely and realized what was happening,” he wrote in the post, offering condolences to the families of the rally attendees who died.
“It is inconceivable that this kind of behavior could take place in our country,” he added. The Trump campaign has said that Trump still plans to attend the Republican National Convention.
An outpouring of support
The incident sent shock waves throughout the political world and provoked an outpouring of condemnation and support from both the ruling and opposition parties.
President Joe Biden called the incident “sickening” and said there was “no place for this kind of violence in America.”
“We can’t let this happen. We can’t tolerate this,” Biden told Trump following the shooting.
Vice President Kamala Harris said she was “relieved that no one was seriously injured.”
“Such violence has no place in our country,” he added. “We must all do our part to condemn this abhorrent act and prevent further violence.”
Donald Trump Jr. told ABC News he had spoken to his father, who is in the hospital, adding that his father is “doing fine” and under observation, and “it’s never going to stop.”
“These are the warriors America needs!” Trump’s son Eric wrote on X, along with a photo of his father raising his fist.
And President Trump’s daughter Ivanka called the shooting “senseless” and wrote X, “I love you, Dad.”
“We are praying for President Trump and we ask all Americans to join us,” former Vice President Mike Pence said at the X.
“We condemn in the strongest terms this act of violence and commend the Secret Service for their swift action today,” Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro said in a statement.
Senator J.D. Vance of Ohio, a finalist for Trump’s vice presidential nominee, asserted, without elaborating or citing evidence, that President Biden was to blame for the incident.
“Today was not just an isolated incident,” Vance wrote on X. “The Biden campaign’s central argument is that President Donald Trump is an authoritarian fascist who must be stopped at all costs. This rhetoric led directly to the assassination attempt on President Trump.”
House Speaker Mike Johnson, in a statement about X, vowed a “thorough investigation of today’s tragic events.”
“People started to panic.”
As Trump was speaking to the crowd about immigration, a popping sound was heard and chaos erupted, after which Trump was seen clutching his ears before falling to the ground and being surrounded by Secret Service agents for protection.
Dave McCormick, a candidate for U.S. Senate, told ABC News he was in the front row at the rally and heard “seven or eight” gunshots.
“People started panicking,” he said. “Everybody fell to the ground.”
Witness Leonardo Verdetto said everyone at the rally was “happy” but then he heard a “pop” and then six to eight gunshots.
“At the time, no one noticed that everyone was saying, ‘Get down! Get down!'”
“We were all praying … praying for him to keep us safe and protect us.”
Another witness, Rico Elmore, who was a speaker at the event, said he was about 20 feet away from Trump at the time and initially thought the shots were “fireworks.”
“I turned around and heard someone yell, ‘Paramedic.'” He then removed his tie, realized there wasn’t much time for paramedics to arrive and sprang into action, but by the time they arrived it was too late, he said. “The guy was bleeding from the head.”
He said they applied towels to the wound and “tried to close it up” until medical teams arrived.
“I just saw the bullets hit the bleachers and ricochet up,” added witness John Dohanich, who said he heard an initial volley of shots, followed by a moment of silence and then the rest of the gunfire.
“I heard people yelling, ‘Get down!’ ‘Get down,'” he said, adding that he tried to help people get down. “I told them to just keep praying and stay calm.”
Following the incident, Trump, with blood on his ear and the side of his face, was hurriedly escorted off the stage with his fist raised and put into a car before being taken away.
Heavily armed security guards took to the stage as he was escorted out.
“The incident occurred on the evening of July 13 at a Trump rally in Pennsylvania,” the Secret Service said in a statement. “Secret Service procedures are in place and the former president is safe. The Secret Service is currently investigating and more information will be released as it becomes available.”
“The President was first briefed on the incident at a rally held by former President Trump,” the White House said in a statement.
A large police presence was deployed outside Trump’s Mar-a-Lago club in Florida following the shooting.
Violence is “totally unacceptable”
“We cannot tolerate violence targeted at any political party or political leader,” Pennsylvania’s Democratic governor, Josh Shapiro, said in a statement. “It has no place in Pennsylvania or in the United States.”
Senator J.D. Vance of Ohio, a leading contender for the vice presidential nomination, posted on social media, “Everyone please join me in praying for President Trump and everyone at the rally. I hope you are all safe.”
North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum, a possible vice presidential candidate, posted on X urging people to pray for the former president.
“Please join Katherine and I in praying for President Trump, his family, and all those attending today’s rally.”
Another vice presidential candidate, Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, also asked X to pray for Trump and those attending the rally.
“We are praying for President Trump and all who attended the rally in Pennsylvania today.”
“ATF is responding to assist the U.S. Secret Service and other law enforcement partners. This is a top priority. We have no further comment at this time,” the ATF said in a statement.
ABC News’ Isabella Murray, Jack Date and Luke Barr contributed to this story.
