Donald Trump
By Victory Oghene
A yet to be identified man has fired multiple gunshots which pierced through the right ear of former United States President, Donald Trump, at his campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.
The shooting incident left one person dead and another seriously injured.
The suspected shooter who wounded Republican presidential candidate at the rally is reported dead.
“Butler County District Attorney, Richard Goldinger, said two people are dead, including an apparent shooter,” The Washington Post reported.
Trump himself sustained a minor injury during the attack.
Trump has issued a statement over the incident. The statement read
“I want to thank The United States Secret Service, and all of Law Enforcement, for their rapid response on the shooting that just took place in Butler, Pennsylvania,”
Trump expressed his condolences to the families of the victims stating, “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.”
The incident occurred as Trump began his final rally before the Republican Party convention. Witnesses reported hearing a series of loud bangs that sounded like gunshots, causing chaos at the event.
John Yeykal, an attendee from Franklin, Pennsylvania, described the scene saying, “We saw a lot of people go down, looking confused. I heard the shots, it sounded like between firecrackers and a small caliber handgun.”
Meanwhile, Trump provided details about his injury, stating, “I was shot with a bullet that pierced the upper part of my 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.”
The Secret Service quickly rushed Trump off the stage and into an SUV. They later confirmed that the “former President is safe” and declared the area an active crime scene.
Trump’s statement revealed that the shooter is now dead, though he added, “Nothing is known at this time about the shooter.”
Both President Joe Biden and former President Barack Obama have issued statements condemning the violence and wishing Trump a speedy recovery.
Biden said, “There’s no place for this kind of violence in America. We must unite as one nation to condemn it.”
In the same vein Obama also condemned the attack. He said , “There is absolutely no place for political violence in our democracy.”
