UPDATE: Trump says he was shot in ear during rally; one participant and one shooter are dead

A shooting at a Donald Trump rally in Butler, Pennsylvania is being investigated as an assassination attempt on the former president and presumptive Republican nominee, law enforcement officials say.

One shooter died and one participant was killed. Two participants are seriously injured. Trump’s campaign says he is “fine” after being taken off the stage and being checked out at a local medical facility.

What to know:

• What happened: Trump was showing a chart of border crossing numbers when there was a noise and the former president put his right hand to his right ear. It is still unclear whether Trump was hit by the gunfire or injured when he was pulled to the ground by agents.
• What we know about the shooter: Two officials spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity to discuss the ongoing investigation. They said the shooter did not attend the rally and was killed by US Secret Service agents.
• Biden’s response: In a televised speech, the president said that “everyone must condemn” the attack, and was relieved that Trump was “doing well.” His campaign said it was discontinuing all messages to supporters and working to pull all TV ads as quickly as possible.

Couple recounts what the scene was like in the stands behind Trump

Chet Jack, a member of the state Republican Party and former Butler County Republican chairman, and his wife Beth were sitting in the stands facing Trump when they heard the shots.

Beth ducked after hearing the gunshots, momentarily relieved to think it was over—then she heard a second round of gunshots, which she suspected was directed at the shooter.

“I couldn’t see what happened to President Trump because the moment I heard a gunshot, I yelled, ‘Everybody get down!'” Beth said. “I knew it was a hit.”

The couple said they were less than 10 meters from a man who was shot in the stands.

“Right after he got shot, everybody started yelling, ‘Medic!'” Beth said. “It was hard because so many people were down and you’re scared to death, but at the same time, you want to know that he’s OK. But they got someone there right away.”

“There was a lot of blood,” Chet said.

As Beth and the crowd ducked for cover, Chet said he stayed standing, looking for the shooter. He said he believed the shots were coming from above and that the plea would not protect him.

“You can’t let these guys — these maniacs — terrorize you,” he said.

Couple recounts what the scene was like in the stands behind Trump

BY LEAH ASKARINAMS

Chet Jack, a member of the state Republican Party and former Butler County Republican chairman, and his wife Beth were sitting in the stands facing Trump when they heard the shots.

Beth ducked after hearing the gunshots, momentarily relieved to think it was over—then she heard a second round of gunshots, which she suspected was directed at the shooter.

“I didn’t get to see what happened to President Trump because the moment I heard a gunshot, I yelled, ‘Everybody get down!'” Beth said. “I knew it was a hit.”

The couple said they were less than 10 meters from a man who was shot in the stands.

“Right after he got shot, everybody started yelling, ‘Medic!'” Beth said. “It was hard because so many people were down and you’re scared to death, but at the same time, you want to know that he’s OK. But they got someone there right away.”

“There was a lot of blood,” Chet said.

As Beth and the crowd ducked for cover, Chet said he stayed standing, looking for the shooter. He said he believed the shots were coming from above and that the plea would not protect him.

“You can’t let these guys — these maniacs — terrorize you,” he said.

This appears to be the first attempt at assistance since Reagan was shot in 1981

BY THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

The attack, by a shooter who law enforcement officials say was later killed by the Secret Service, was the first attempt to assassinate a president or presidential candidate since Ronald Reagan was shot in 1981.

The perils of the campaign took on new urgency after the assassination of Robert F. Kennedy in California in 1968 and again in 1972 when Arthur Bremer shot and seriously wounded George Wallace, who was running as an independent on a campaign platform that was sometimes compared to Trump’s.

This led to increased protection for candidates, even as threats persisted, notably against Jesse Jackson in 1988 and Barack Obama in 2008.

Presidents, especially after the assassination of John F. Kennedy in 1963, have even higher levels of security. Trump is a rarity as both a former president and a current candidate.