Illustration of Unexpected Gunshots Interrupt Trump Rally in Pennsylvania

Unexpected Gunshots Interrupt Trump Rally in Pennsylvania

BUTLER, Pa. — At 6:02 pm on Saturday, former President Donald Trump took the stage at the fairgrounds in Butler, Pennsylvania, greeted by a cheering crowd and the song “God Bless the U.S.A.” He began his usual rally speech under the intense midsummer sun.

Minutes into his speech, Trump pointed to a chart showing a spike in illegal border crossings under President Joe Biden. He commented, “That chart’s a couple of months old. And if you want to see something really sad—”

Suddenly, gunshots rang out, causing Trump to clutch his ear. Secret Service agents in dark suits rushed towards him, yelling “Get down!” as Trump dropped to the ground. The crowd of thousands also dropped, creating a silence broken only by occasional screams.

Moments later, Trump stood up as agents surrounded him, covering him with their bodies. Though bleeding from his ear, Trump pumped his fist and mouthed “fight” before being hustled offstage to a waiting SUV.

The local district attorney confirmed that the shooter and one rallygoer were dead. The FBI identified the shooter as Thomas Matthew Crooks, 20, of Bethel Park, Pennsylvania.

Trump’s campaign later stated that he was “fine.”

Earlier that afternoon, rallygoers had gathered peacefully outside the secure Secret Service perimeter. Butler, a city of 13,000 located 33 miles north of Pittsburgh, is known as a Trump stronghold; Trump won Butler County by 32 percentage points in the 2020 election.

The field slowly filled with rallygoers in red “Make America Great Again” hats as the temperature reached 90 degrees Fahrenheit. Local politicians spoke as the crowd chanted “Trump! Trump! Trump!” At one point, a giant American flag became tangled, prompting chants of “fix the flag!” until it was properly unfurled.

Outside the perimeter, stands sold food, beverages, and Trump merchandise. The crowd became excited when Trump’s favorite playlist began, starting with The Village People’s “YMCA.” Trump then walked towards the stage, smiling and pointing at the cheering crowd. “This is a big, big beautiful crowd,” he said after the Lee Greenwood song concluded.

Trump mentioned David McCormick, the Republican running against Pennsylvania’s Democratic Sen. Bob Casey, before turning to border crossings. “We have millions and millions of people in our country who should not be here. Dangerous people,” he said, showing the chart.

After the shots were fired and Trump was taken offstage, Secret Service agents carrying rifles flooded the area. Most of the crowd stayed down, except for a group near the perimeter where the gunfire came from.

Rico Elmore, vice chairman of the Beaver County Republican Party, was in a special guest section facing Trump. He initially thought the shots were firecrackers, then shouted “Get down!” when he realized they were real. Elmore rushed to help a shooting victim but found it was too late.

The victim has not been identified.

As Trump was driven away, rallygoers remained on the ground, some calling family or checking their phones for updates. “Is he all right?” people asked.

Eventually, people began to leave. A small group yelled at the media, “It’s all your fault!”

Police and Secret Service then cleared the area, declaring it a crime scene an hour after the shooting. The field was left littered with empty water bottles and soggy cardboard containers.

Associated Press writers Nicholas Riccardi in Denver and Leah Askarinam in Washington contributed to this report.

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