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Harrisburg, Pennsylvania (Indian Express): Former US President and Republican candidate Donald Trump was shot at by an unidentified assailant while speaking at a campaign event in Pennsylvania on Saturday.
“I was shot with a bullet that pierced the upper part of my right ear,” Trump informed on social media shortly after. “Much bleeding took place,” he added.
What went down?
As the first shot rang out, Trump exclaimed, “Oh!” and grabbed his ear and as two more shots followed, he quickly crouched down.
Amidst the ensuing panic among the crowd, the Secret Service immediately surrounded the Republican nominee. Emerging a minute later, holding his ear, Trump pumped his fist in the air, seemingly mouthing the words “Fight! Fight! Fight!”
Blood could be seen splattered on the right side of his face. Cheers erupted from the crowd as he stood up and raised his fist. His motorcade departed shortly thereafter.
The Secret Service and Trump’s campaign confirmed that he was safe after the shooting in Butler, Pennsylvania, approximately 30 miles north of Pittsburgh.
According to Reuters news agency, a Trump supporter in the crowd reported hearing about four shots and witnessing the crowd immediately drop down, followed by Trump ducking.
“I heard about four shots and I saw the crowd go down and then Trump ducked also real quick. Then the Secret Service all jumped and protected him as soon as they could. We are talking within a second they were all protecting him,” he said.
The witness described seeing a man fleeing and being pursued by officers in military uniforms.
Additional shots were heard, but it was unclear who fired them, he said. Snipers had already positioned themselves on the roof of a nearby warehouse, informed the supporter.
The identity and motive of the shooter remains unknown.
According to a statement from the Secret Service, the shooter was killed, one rally attendee was deceased, and two other spectators were injured
They stated that the shots seemed to have come from outside their secured area.
“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 agency said in a statement.
What Donald Trump said after the shooting:
In a statement released by Trump, he thanked the United States Secret Service and Law Enforcement for their “rapid response on the shooting.”
“It is incredible that such an act can take place in our Country. Nothing is known at this time about the shooter, who is now dead,” he said.
Describing the shooting incident, Trump said that the bullet pierced the upper part of his right ear.
“I knew immediately that something was wrong in that I heard a whizzing sound, shots, and immediately felt the bullet ripping through the skin. Much bleeding took place, so I realized then what was happening. GOD BLESS AMERICA!,” he said.
He also extended condolences to the family of the person who was killed in the rally and the other person who was badly injured.
“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,” the communications director for Trump Steven Cheung said in a statement.
Biden and Obama condemn the attack
The act of violence drew condemnation from both sides of the political spectrum, with Trump’s rival and US President Joe Biden stating, “There is no place in America for this kind of violence.”
Former President Barack Obama also wished Trump a speedy recovery, reiterating, “There is absolutely no room for political violence in our democracy.”
The incident was condemned by Vice President Kamala Harris who said: “Doug and I are relieved that he is not seriously injured. We are praying for him, his family, and all those who have been injured and impacted by this senseless shooting. … We must all condemn this abhorrent act and do our part to ensure that it does not lead to more violence.”
Past direct attacks against presidents and candidates
Elias Lopez of CBS News writes:
Direct assaults against presidents, presidents-elect, and candidates have occurred on 15 separate occasions, with five resulting in death, according to a 2008 report compiled by the Congressional Research Service. Of the 45 individuals serving as president, 13 (or about 29%) have been subject to actual or attempted assassinations. That number does not include the latest incident involving Trump.
At least seven of the past nine Presidents have been targets of assaults, attacks or assassination attempts. The Congressional Research Service report says presidents who survived attacks include Gerald R. Ford (twice in 1975), Ronald W. Reagan (a near-fatal shooting in 1981), Bill Clinton (when the White House was fired upon in 1994), and George W. Bush (when an attacker threw a grenade that did not explode towards him and the president of Georgia during an event in Tbilisi in 2005), and the latest Congressional Research Service report, citing Secret Service as source, says also that there have been attempts on former President Barack Obama, Trump and President Biden.
Two others who served as President were attacked, either as a President-elect (Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1933) or as a presidential candidate (Theodore Roosevelt in 1912, when he was seeking the presidency after being out of office for nearly four years).
Two other presidential candidates —Robert F. Kennedy, who was killed in 1968, and George C. Wallace, who was seriously wounded in 1972— were also victims of direct assaults, according to the report compiled by the Congressional Research Service.
Presidents who were assassinated
Four presidents — Abraham Lincoln, James A. Garfield, William McKinley and John F. Kennedy — have been assassinated.
Of the 15 attacks listed in the report, only the Lincoln assassination was the result of a broad conspiracy, the report says. But conspiracy theories still surround many of these events.
In only one incident — the Lincoln assassination — was a broad conspiracy proven, although such contentions have arisen on other occasions. Only one other incident involved more than one participant — the 1950 assault on Blair House, the temporary residence of President Harry S Truman. But no evidence of other conspirators emerged from the subsequent investigation or prosecution.
Of the 18 attacks or assassination attempts on presidents or presidential candidates, all but two involved firearms. All but two of the attacks, both against Ford, were committed by men. All but one of the 15 assaults occurred within the U.S.
First documented attack against a president
According to the Congressional Research Service, the first attack occurred in 1835, when an attacker’s pistol misfired against President Andrew Jackson. The attacker, Richard Lawrence, was declared insane. He said “Jackson was preventing him from obtaining large sums of money and was ruining the country,” the report says.
Source: Congressional Research Service, 2008 and 2024
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