A shooting incident erupted at a rally for former President Donald Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania, on Saturday, July 13, leaving one person dead and two others critically injured. The alleged shooter, who fired from an elevated position, was killed by Secret Service personnel. Trump, who was grazed by a bullet according to reports, was rushed offstage by his security detail and appeared unharmed.
A woman attending the rally, Saurabh Sharma, the president of American Moment, a Washington D.C.-based training nonprofit, described the chaotic scene to Fox News Digital. She recounted the moment when the crowd, initially mistaking the gunfire for fireworks, instinctively hit the ground. Sharma stated, “I remember hearing two sounds. They were pretty light. We thought they were fireworks, but everyone instantly hit the ground. I think the president hit the ground as well. And the Secret Service obviously swarmed over him.”
Despite the initial confusion, attendees quickly realized the gravity of the situation and sought shelter. Sharma noted that people were left in a state of stunned silence rather than a panic-stricken scramble to leave. “That whole rally was pretty, pretty stunned by the whole thing,” she said. “People weren’t really loud. They were muttering to themselves. No one seemed freaked out either. They were just in a little bit of a daze walking out. There was a single scream.”
Sharma described witnessing a lot of blood on attendees’ shirts and a body being carried out. She also mentioned that one woman kept repeating, “They tried to kill him, they tried to kill him.”
Trump’s campaign released a statement confirming that the former president was “fine” after the incident.
The shooting incident has cast a pall over the country and raised serious concerns about the safety of political events. Sharma expressed her concern about the current political climate, stating, “This is going to make the RNC have the gravity that it would have never had. It’s one of those times in American history where all bets are off. There are no rules. And, I just hope that the president is completely unharmed at the end of this. It’s just it’s a crazy, crazy time in the country.”
The incident is currently under investigation by law enforcement authorities. The identity of the suspect has not yet been released.
