Donald Trump survives assassination attempt at campaign rally
The former president was wounded in the ear when a gunman opened fire at an outdoor event in Pennsylvania, days before the Republican convention.
Former President Donald Trump survived an assassination attempt on Saturday when a gunman opened fire at an outdoor campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, wounding him in the ear and killing a spectator before being shot dead by security forces.
Trump, who was addressing the crowd when shots rang out, was seen reaching for his ear and dropping behind the lectern as Secret Service agents rushed to shield him. Moments later he rose with blood on his face and raised a fist to the crowd, an image that spread instantly around the world. He was taken to hospital and released, saying a bullet had grazed his ear.
One rally attendee was killed and two others were critically injured. The gunman, a 20-year-old man positioned on a nearby rooftop, was killed by a Secret Service counter-sniper. Investigators launched a sweeping inquiry into how the shooter had gained an unobstructed line of sight, and the episode prompted intense scrutiny of the security arrangements.
The attack, coming just two days before the Republican National Convention, sent shockwaves through an already tense election campaign. Leaders across the political spectrum condemned the violence and called for calm, and President Joe Biden addressed the nation to denounce the attack.
The shooting marked the most serious attempt on the life of a major American political figure in decades and injected a volatile new element into a bitterly divided presidential race.