Former President Donald Trump has released a statement following the shooting incident at his campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, which left one person dead and another seriously injured.
Trump himself sustained a minor injury during the attack.
“I want to thank the United States Secret Service and all of law enforcement for their rapid response to the shooting that just took place in Butler, Pennsylvania,” Trump said in his statement.
He 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 I 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 said that the shooter is now dead, but 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.”
Meanwhile, Obama echoed this sentiment, stating, “There is absolutely no place for political violence in our democracy.”
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