Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump is rushed offstage during a rally on July 13, 2024 in Butler, Pennsylvania. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
Shortly after former President Donald Trump took the stage at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania at 6 p.m., several loud pops could be heard, and Trump was whisked off the stage. Multiple reports suggested the noises were gunshots, and video from the incident appeared to show Trump reacting to something hitting his ear. The event was to be his final campaign rally before he formally accepts the Republican Party’s 2024 presidential nomination at next week’s Republican National Convention.
The U.S. Secret Service chief spokesperson posted to Twitter shortly after the incident that “The Secret Service has implemented protective measures and the former President is safe. This is now an active Secret Service investigation and further information will be released when available.”
The Butler County District Attorney said one person attending the rally and the shooter were both dead, the Associated Press reported.
President Joe Biden has received an initial briefing on the incident, according to a White House pool report.
Trump spokesperson Steven Cheung told reporters Saturday, “President Trump thanks law enforcement and first responders for their quick action during this heinous act. He is fine and is being checked out at a local medical facility. More details will follow.”
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro said on social media he had been briefed on the situation and that Pennsylvania State Police were on the scene working with federal and local partners. “Violence targeted at an political party or political leaders is absolutely unacceptable,” Shapiro wrote. “It has no place in Pennsylvania or the United States.”
Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump is shown covered by U.S. Secret Service agents after an incident during a rally on July 13, 2024 in Butler, Pennsylvania. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
GOP U.S. Senate candidate David McCormick, who spoke at the rally before Trump, told Fox News there were a number of shots, and Secret Service agents attended to Trump. He said it was hard to tell where the shots came from, but said he heard seven or eight shots.
“And then, sadly, someone behind me, up in the bleachers was was definitely wounded, and there was a lot of blood. And, you know, the police came in and helped carry that person out of this fan so they could get the care they needed. I’m not sure if others were injured or not, if at all, ” he said, describing the scene as “very chaotic.”
McCormick said he was sitting in the front row, to Trump’s right as he was facing the crowd. “I couldn’t tell whether it was one gun or two, but there were seven or eight shots, just one right, one right after another.”
This story was originally published by Pennsylvania Capital-Star. Like Maine Morning Star, Pennsylvania Capital-Star is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Pennsylvania Capital-Star maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Kim Lyons for questions: info@penncapital-star.com. Follow Pennsylvania Capital-Star on Facebook and X.
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