By Nathan Layne and Brendan McDermi
BUTLER, Pennsylvania (Reuters) – Gunfire erupted at a Donald Trump rally on Saturday, sparking panic in the crowd and spattering the Republican presidential candidate with blood, before he emerged and defiantly pumped his fist in the air and was ushered to a waiting car.
Trump grimaced and grabbed his ear before security hustled him away, his red “Make America Great Again” hat knocked off. The Secret Service and the former president’s campaign said Trump was safe following the shooting in Butler, Pennsylvania, about 30 miles (50 km) north of Pittsburgh.
Live video showed blood spattered on Trump’s right cheek and ear.
The suspected shooter was dead, as was an audience member, and another person was in critical condition, a Washington Post reporter said on social media, citing the Butler County district attorney.
The shooter’s identity and motive was not immediately clear. Leading Republicans and Democrats quickly condemned the violence.
The shooting occurred less than four months before the Nov. 5 election, when Trump faces an election rematch with Democratic President Joe Biden.
“President Trump thanks law enforcement and first responders for their quick action during this heinous act. He is fine and is being checked out at a local medical facility. More details will follow,” spokesperson Steven Cheung said in a statement.
Trump had just started his speech when gunshots erupted and Trump and other rally attendees hit the deck. Secret Service agents swarmed around him and Trump disappeared behind the podium for about one minute before he was rushed to the waiting vehicle.
Trump and Biden are locked in a close election rematch, with most opinion polls including those by Reuters/Ipsos showing the two evenly matched.
Biden said in a statement: “There’s no place for this kind of violence in America. We must unite as one nation to condemn it.”
Ron Moose, a Trump supporter who was in the crowd, described the chaos: “I heard about four shots and I saw the crowd go down and then Trump ducked also real quick. Then the Secret Service all jumped and protected him as soon as they could. We are talking within a second they were all protecting him.”
Moose said he then saw a man running and being chased by officers in military uniforms. He said he heard additional shots, but was unsure who fired them. He noted that by then snipers had set up on the roof of a warehouse behind the stage.
REPUBLICANS, DEMOCRATS DECRY VIOLENCE
Trump is due to receive his party’s formal nomination at the Republican National Convention, which kicks off in Milwaukee on Monday.
“This horrific act of political violence at a peaceful campaign rally has no place in this country and should be unanimously and forcefully condemned,” Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson said on social media.
Democratic Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said he was horrified by what happened and was relieved Trump was safe. “Political violence has no place in our country,” he said.
A Secret Service spokesperson said on social media: “The Secret Service has implemented protective measures and the former president is safe … This is now an active Secret Service investigation and further information will be released when available.”
CNN reported that Trump was injured, but gave no other details. It was not clear how or what injuries he may have sustained.
The venue was abandoned with chairs knocked over and yellow police tape around the stage. A helicopter flew above and law enforcement officers walked through the area, the video feed showed. Armed law enforcement officers were also seen on a roof near the stage where Trump was standing.
Biden received an initial briefing on the incident, the White House said.
Biden has been facing pushback from within his own party following a disastrous debate performance against the former president a little more than two weeks ago.
Trump, who served as president from 2017-2021, easily bested his rivals for the Republican nomination early in the campaign and has largely unified around him the party that had briefly wavered in support after his supporters attacked the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, attempting to overturn his 2020 election defeat.
The businessman and former reality television star entered the year facing a raft of legal worries, including four separate criminal prosecutions. He was found guilty in late May of trying to cover up hush money payments to a porn star, but the other three prosecutions he faces — including two for his attempts to overturn his defeat — have been ground to a halt by various factors including a Supreme Court decision early this month that found him to be partly immune to prosecution.
(Reporting by Nathan Layne and Brendan McDermid in Butler, Pennsylvania; additional reporting by Jarrett Renshaw, John Kruzel, Daniel Wallis, Jasper Ward, David Morgan, Rami Ayyub and Caitlin Webber; Writing by Susan Heavey and Scott Malone; Editing by Nick Zieminski and Daniel Wallis)