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.
Speaking from his home state of Delaware, President Biden
deplored the attack, calling it "sick".
"There's no place in America for this kind of
violence," he said. "Everybody must condemn it."
The White House later said President Biden had spoken with
Trump before returning to Washington DC.
Trump remains locked in a tight contest with President Biden
- the presumptive Democratic nominee - in a re-match of the 2020 election.
Politicians of both parties joined Mr Biden in condemning
the apparent attack.
Former President Barack Obama said there "is absolutely
no place for political violence in our democracy" and that he was
"relieved that former President Trump wasn’t seriously hurt".
Trump's former vice-president Mike Pence said he and his
wife were praying for his former ally, adding that he urged "every
American to join us".
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said in a statement:
“My thoughts and prayers are with former President Trump. I am thankful for the
decisive law enforcement response. America is a democracy. Political violence
of any kind is never acceptable.”
UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer led international
condemnation of the shooting, saying he was "appalled by the shocking
scenes at President Trump's rally".
"Political violence in any form has no place in our
societies and my thoughts are with all the victims of this attack," he
said in a statement.
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida called on people to
oppose violence that "challenges democracy".
And Canadian leader Justin Trudeau said he was
"sickened by the shooting at former President Trump".
Trump was set to accept his party's nomination for president
at the convention in Milwaukee on Monday. Some had speculated that he had been
set to reveal his running mate at the Butler rally.
Some Republicans were quick to blame President Biden over
the shooting, accusing him of stoking fears about Trump's potential return to
office.
Senator JD Vance, who is thought to be on the shortlist to
become Trump’s vice-presidential candidate, said the rhetoric from the Biden
campaign had led directly to this incident.
Mike Collins - a Republican congressman - accused the
president of “inciting an assassination”.
Meanwhile James Comer, the chair of the powerful House
oversight committee, said he would summon the director of the Secret Service
before his panel.
