On Saturday night, during a campaign event in western Pennsylvania, Trump narrowly escaped an apparent assassination attempt. The incident resulted in the death of one attendee and serious injuries to two others.
Videos from the rally showed Trump grabbing his neck after shots were fired. Secret Service agents quickly pulled him to the ground and whisked him away in an armored vehicle to a hospital, where he was treated for his injuries.
However, a report by Democratic Underground, claimed that glass fragments, not a bullet hit Former President Trump. The report partly reads; “Law enforcement officials have claimed to two different sources that a bullet did not graze former President Donald Trump but rather by glass shards. The officials in question told both Newsmax’s Alex Salvi and Axios’ Juliegrace Brufke that Trump was hit by glass shards that may have erupted from the shattering of a teleprompter that was hit by gunfire.”
Trump, on the other hand, claimed he was grazed by a bullet on his right ear. After receiving medical attention, he was released from the hospital and left the state later that night.
Authorities confirmed that the suspected shooter, identified as 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks from Bethel Park, Pennsylvania, was killed.
During a press conference late Saturday night, FBI officials stated they were still investigating the motive behind the attack.
Kevin Rojek, the special agent in charge of the FBI’s Pittsburgh field office, described the incident as an assassination attempt on the former president. He assured the public that the crime scene remained active and under thorough investigation. report from The News Globe.
“This evening we had what we are calling an assassination attempt against our former president, Donald Trump. It is still an active crime scene,” Kevin Rojek, special agent in charge of the FBI’s Pittsburgh field office, said at the news conference.
The chaos erupted around 6:15 p.m. at the Butler, Pennsylvania rally when Trump was just beginning his speech on immigration and border crossings.
As he turned towards a large screen to display a chart, three gunshots rang out. Trump instinctively touched his right ear and lowered himself to the ground as Secret Service agents shouted for him to “get down.”
“I was shot with a bullet that pierced the upper part of my right ear,” the former president said in a social media post. “I knew immediately that something was wrong in that I heard a whizzing sound, and shots, and immediately felt the bullet ripping through the skin. Much bleeding took place, so I realized then what was happening.”
The scene turned chaotic as Secret Service agents shielded Trump with their bodies while the crowd screamed and more shots were fired.
Trump lay on the ground for about a minute, surrounded by agents until a voice announced, “shooter is down.” When Trump stood up, supported by agents, blood was seen streaming from his ear down his cheek.
Despite the injury, Trump tried to address the crowd, first asking for his shoes and then, in a dramatic display, pumping his fist and shouting “fight, fight” to the audience, who responded with chants of “USA! USA!”
He was then quickly ushered into an SUV and taken to a nearby hospital. Law enforcement officials are now focusing on understanding the motive behind the attack. As of the latest updates, no clear reason has been identified, and the investigation is ongoing.
The authorities are examining Crooks’ background and any possible connections or affiliations that might explain his actions.