Former US President Donald Trump was injured Saturday evening during his rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, in what the FBI says was an assassination attempt. A gunman and at least one audience member are dead, the Secret Service said, and two other attendees are critically injured.
Trump said on social media that he was shot and hit by a bullet in the “upper part of my right ear.” The Secret Service said the former president is safe after he was rushed off the stage with blood on his face.
The FBI said at a news conference Saturday night that the agency is working to identify the gunman through “biometric confirmations” because the suspect did not carry identification on him.
The Secret Service said the shooter fired multiple shots from an “elevated position” outside of the rally before he was killed by agents. Law enforcement sources told CNN the shooter was on a building rooftop just outside the rally venue.
Eyewitnesses described a “bloody” and chaotic scene. “It’s pure insanity,” said one rally attendee.
President Joe Biden spoke with Trump after the shooting. Biden denounced the violence in remarks Saturday night and said in a statement earlier that he’s “grateful” Trump is safe. Biden, who was planning to stay in Delaware for the weekend, is returning to the White House earlier than planned so he can continue receiving briefings from law enforcement.
Speaking at a news conference in Butler, Pennsylvania, authorities said the victims of the shooting have been identified but those details are not yet being publicly shared.
The shooting, which took place at former President Donald Trump’s rally Saturday afternoon, left one attendee dead and two more critically injured. The gunman was also killed by Secret Service agents.
All three were adult men, said Lt. Col. George Bivens of the Pennsylvania State Police.
“We have notified a number of family members, but they have not had an opportunity to notify extended family,” he said.
The gunshots had been “scattered,” and weren’t hitting just one location in the crowd, he added. (Text, excluding headline: CNN)
