Former US President Donald Trump was rushed off stage after gunshots erupted at a rally in Pennsylvania in an apparent assassination attempt.
Footage showed him grimace and raise a hand to his right ear, before ducking as several sharp cracks – a series of shots – broke out.
He was quickly swarmed by US Secret Service agents and dragged off stage to a waiting vehicle. He raised a fist as he was bundled into the car.
In a post to his Truth Social network, Trump said a bullet pierced the “upper part” of his right ear. Earlier, his spokesperson said he was receiving treatment at a local medical centre.
“I knew immediately that something was wrong in that I heard a whizzing sound, shots, and immediately felt the bullet ripping through the skin,” Trump wrote. “Much bleeding took place, so I realized then what was happening.”
Blood was clearly visible on Trump’s ear and face as protection officers rushed him away.
The suspect was shot dead at the scene by US Secret Service officers, the agency’s spokesperson Anthony Guglielmi said. He added that one bystander was killed in the shooting and two others were critically injured.
Officials later revealed that all three victims were male.
Law enforcement sources told the BBC’s US partner CBS News that the male attacker had been armed with a rifle and had fired from an elevated structure a few hundred metres away outside the venue.
FBI agents – who are leading the investigation – told reporters in Butler that they had “tentatively identified” the dead gunman, but were yet to establish a motive.
Special Agent Kevin Rojek confirmed the agency was treating the shooting as an assassination attempt.
He added that the suspect was not carrying ID and that investigators were using DNA in an attempt to formally identify him.
The Republican candidate for president had just started addressing his supporters in Butler, Pennsylvania – a crucial swing state in November’s election – when the shots started.
Multiple bangs rang out as Trump spoke about his successor, President Joe Biden, and his administration.
Several supporters holding placards and standing behind Trump ducked as the shots were heard.
Bystanders who spoke to the BBC suggested the gunshots may have come from a one-storey building to the right of the stage where Trump was speaking.
One witness – Greg – told the BBC that he had spotted a suspicious-looking person “bear crawling” on the roof of the building about five minutes after Trump took to the stage. He said he pointed the person out to police.
“He had a rifle, we could clearly see him with a rifle,” he said. “We’re pointing at him, the police are down there running around on the ground – we’re like ‘hey man there’s a guy on the roof with a rifle’ and the police did not know what was going on.”
Tim – who was also at the rally – told the BBC that he had heard a “barrage” of shots.
“There was a spray which we initially thought was a fire hose, and then the speaker on the right-hand side started coming down,” he said.
“Something must have hit the hydraulic lines [which caused it to fall]. We saw President Trump go to the ground and everyone started dropping to the ground because it was chaos.”
Warren and Debbie were at the venue and told the BBC they heard at least four gunshots.
They said they both got on the ground as Secret Service agents came through the crowd, shouting for the attendees to get down. People remained calm, they said.
“We couldn’t believe it was happening,” Warren said.
Debbie said a little girl beside them was crying that she didn’t want to die and saying “how is this happening to us?”
“That broke my heart,” Debbie said.
Republican Congressman Ronnie Jackson told the BBC that his nephew was injured in the shooting. He sustained a minor wound to his neck and was treated at the scene, Mr Jackson said in a statement.
Source BBC
