Donald Trump has been shot and injured in an assassination attempt at a campaign rally, which saw an audience member and the gunman killed.
The former president escaped with a bullet wound to his ear in the attack, which happened early on Saturday evening as the former president was giving a speech to supporters in Butler, Pennsylvania.
As a barrage of gunshots erupted and people began screaming in fear, Mr. Trump was seen falling to the ground and grabbing his ear.
The crowd chanted “USA” as Mr. Trump lifted his fist in the air in anger and yelled “fight” as he was bundled off stage with a wounded ear. The Secret Service had surrounded him in an attempt to protect him.
The attacker fired “multiple shots” from a “elevated position,” killing one person in the crowd and seriously wounding two others, according to the Secret Service.
The attacker, identified by the FBI as 20-year-old Thomas Matthew, who was a registered Republican in state records, was shot and killed by police snipers.
Approximately 150 metres away from where Mr Trump was speaking, footage captured a white-roofed building with a body and a rifle on top.
In a post on his Truth Social site, Mr. Trump claimed to have been “shot with a bullet that pierced the upper part of my right ear”.
He said: “I knew immediately that something was wrong in that I heard a whizzing sound, shots, and immediately felt the bullet ripping through the skin,” he said on social media.
“Much bleeding took place, so I realised then what was happening.
“I want to thank The United States Secret Service, and all of law enforcement, for their rapid response,” Trump added.
“Most importantly, I want to extend my condolences to the family of the person at the rally who was killed, and also to the family of another person that was badly injured.
“It is incredible that such an act can take place in our country.”
Trump’s eldest son, Donald Trump Jr., stated that his father “is in great spirits,” while his campaign spokesperson, Steven Cheung, stated that the former president was “fine” and had been checked out at a nearby medical facility.
The president, Joe Biden, denounced the shooting and said that “no place in America for this kind of violence” after speaking with his opponent for the White House.
In a speech to the country, he declared: “It’s sick. Feeling sick.
“We cannot allow for this to be happening.”
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Source: Sky News US
