A few days before he was scheduled to accept the Republican nomination for a third time, former US President Donald Trump was the subject of an attempted assassination on Saturday at a rally in Pennsylvania. Panic ensued as a flurry of gunshots rang out, and a bleeding Trump—claiming he was shot in the ear—was quickly surrounded by Secret Service agents as he rushed to his SUV, giving a defiant fist pump on the way.
Trump’s team confirmed that the presumed Republican nominee was “fine” following the incident, stating that the bullet had punctured the top portion of his right ear.
“As soon as I felt the bullet ripping through my skin and heard bullets and a zipping sound, I knew something was wrong. There was a lot of bleeding,” Trump shared on social media.
Early Sunday, the FBI identified Thomas Matthew Crooks, 20, of Bethel Park, Pennsylvania, as the assailant. According to the agency, the investigation is ongoing.
Officials reported that two onlookers suffered serious injuries, and one attendee died. All victims were male. The Secret Service confirmed that Trump was safe and that they had shot and killed the alleged gunman, who had ambushed the rally from an elevated position at an agricultural fair in Butler, Pennsylvania.
In a late-Saturday news conference, the FBI mentioned they had not yet determined the motive for the assassination attempt and were not ready to disclose the shooter’s identity.
This incident, the most significant attempt to kill a president or presidential contender since Ronald Reagan was shot in 1981, has brought fresh attention to concerns about political violence in a highly polarized United States. The attack, occurring less than four months before the presidential election, is likely to influence the atmosphere and security measures at the Republican National Convention, which begins in Milwaukee on Monday.
Despite the attack, the convention organizers declared that the event would proceed as scheduled.
