Trump rally shooting in Pennsylvania being investigated as assassination attempt

Butler: Federal authorities said late Saturday they were investigating a shooting at a rally in Pennsylvania as an assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump, and that they were not yet ready to identify the suspected gunman or speculate on his motives.

The shooting at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on Saturday left one rally attendee and the suspected gunman dead, and two other spectators critically injured, the Secret Service said in a statement.

Investigators “are working tirelessly” to determine a motive, Kevin Rojek, a special agent in the FBI’s Pittsburgh’s field office, said at a news conference late Saturday.

After the apparent sound of gunshots at the rally, Trump was escorted off the stage bleeding from around his ear. He was later rushed to a hospital, the Secret Service said.

Trump said in a post on Truth Social, his social media platform, that he had been “shot with a bullet that pierced the upper part of my right ear.”

President Joe Biden gave a brief televised statement after the incident, condemning the violence as “sick.” The suspected shooter has not been identified, but authorities recovered an AR-15-type semiautomatic rifle at the scene from a deceased man they believe was the shooter, according to two law enforcement officials.

In his social media post, Trump thanked law enforcement officers for their quick response to the shooting and offered condolences to the family of the spectator who had been killed.

Biden’s campaign said in a statement Saturday night that it would pause “all outbound communications” and was working to “pull down our television ads as quickly as possible.” The move reflects a desire to put politics aside while the crisis of a likely assassination attempt on a presidential candidate plays out.

Trump had been showing supporters a chart of numbers about border crossings just minutes into his speech when shots rang out in two bursts. He ducked quickly after the noises began and as members of the crowd began to scream. He then was rushed off the stage by Secret Service agents. As he was escorted to his motorcade, Trump, whose face and right ear were bloodied, pumped his fist in a defiant gesture to the crowd. After he departed, a group of officials in camouflage escorted someone off a set of bleachers to the left of the stage.