A 20-year-old gunman shot and wounded Donald Trump in an attempted assassination at a Pennsylvania rally on Saturday in one of the most horrifying acts of violence in political history.
Thomas Matthew Crooks opened fire from a rooftop 130 yards from where the former president was on stage speaking to thousands of fans in Butler at 6.15pm on Saturday night.
Trump suddenly grabbed his ear and had blood covering his face after at least eight shots were fired and the crowd started screaming as Secret Service agents swarmed around him.
He then got up, raised his fist and shouted ‘fight, fight, fight’ as he was rushed away from the scene and to hospital. Just a few hours later he released a statement saying he was fine and describing the moment he felt the bullet rip through his skin.
The attacker killed a member of the crowd before he was shot and killed in the terrifying incident that has sparked questions of how law enforcement allowed him to open fire on a former president.
The FBI has confirmed the identity of the would-be assassin who shot Donald Trump as Thomas Matthew Crooks.
The 20-year-old from Bethal Park, Pennslyvania, opened fire at the former president from a roof 130 yards away from the rally stage.
Crooks killed a member of the rally crowd, shot Trump through the ear, and was then gunned down by Secret Service agents.
Law enforcement was seen surrounding his body and an AR-style rifle he used in one of the most horrifying acts of political violence in history.
Donald Trump has been seen for the first time since he was rushed from the stage at his rally after an assassination attempt.
The former president was seen walking down the stairs of his plane, Trump Force One, in Newark, New Jersey, just hours after he was shot in the ear.
His deputy communications director Margo Martin posted the video to X with the message: ‘Strong and resilient’.
