July 15, 2024:
Former President Donald Trump was whisked off stage at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on Saturday, July 13, after gunshots erupted, including one that he said pierced his right ear. Trump was quickly escorted by Secret Service agents to a local medical facility and is “fine,” his campaign said.
The suspected gunman, identified by the FBI as 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks from Bethel Park, Pennsylvania, is dead, as is one person who attended the rally.Two more attendees were critically injured.
“I heard a whizzing sound, shots, and immediately felt the bullet ripping through the skin,” Trump wrote afterward on Truth Social. “Much bleeding took place, so I realized then what was happening.”
In a brief televised statement, President Joe Biden condemned the violence as “sick,” urging Americans to condemn political violence. Biden spoke with Trump on the phone, and his reelection campaign is reportedly pulling down television ads in the wake of the shooting.
This is a developing story. Follow here for the latest news and analysis.