FORMER President Donald Trump was rushed off stage with blood dripping on his face after gunshots rang out at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania on Saturday, and authorities confirmed he was the target of a would-be assassin.
Both the gunmen and an innocent bystander at the rally are dead, and two others are in serious condition.
“This evening we had what we are calling an assassination attempt against our former president, Donald Trump,” Kevin Rojek, FBI special agent in charge, said at late-night press conference in Butler, Pa. The FBI has not released the name of the suspect or the motive in the attack.
Trump said he was shot in the ear and an email sent out late Saturday night from his campaign team quoted him saying “I will never surrender.”
Secret Service Spokesman Anthony Guglielmi said in a statement that the suspected shooter, who officials confirmed is dead, fired multiple shots toward the stage at approximately 6:15 p.m. He said the shooter was in an elevated position outside the rally.
Lt. Col. George Bivens of the Pennsylvania State Police said law enforcement is following up on a “number of suspicious occurrences” including accounts from witnesses who said they tried to flag police about the activity of a person outside the rally moments before the shooting.
“It is surprising” Rojek said when asked about the alleged gunman’s close vicinity to the rally. He said the gunman’s proximity is among the details that will come out in the investigation. Rojek added: “The Secret Service really needs to answer that question. They conduct the initial site survey.”
Trump reached for his ear as noises erupted. Attendees at the rally began screaming as agents pushed Trump to the ground.
The former president was removed from the site by Secret Service, with his fist raised. Steven Cheung, Trump’s spokesperson, confirmed in a statement that the former president is “fine” but saw doctors at an area medical facility.
A Secret Service posting on social media confirmed that agents “neutralized” the assassin and that he was dead. Law enforcement recovered an AR-style rifle from the scene of the shooting. A male innocent bystander at the rally was killed by the gunman, the FBI confirmed.
The former president said in a statement that “It is incredible that such an act can take place in our country.”
Rojek, a special agent in charge of the FBI’s Pittsburgh field office, said the bureau isn’t prepared to identify the shooter just yet.
“We are close to that identification, and as soon as we are 100% confident in who that individual is, we will share it,” he said.
“With that being said, also, we do not currently have an identified motive, although our investigators are working tirelessly to attempt to identify what that motive was,” Rojek added.
