On Saturday, just past six past the hour, as the strains of "God Bless the U.S.A." filled the air, former President Donald Trump graced the stage at the Butler, Pennsylvania fairgrounds. Waving to the cheering throng, he settled into his usual rally repertoire under the blistering midsummer sun.
A mere few minutes later, Trump drew attention to a projected chart depicting a sharp rise in illegal border crossings under President Joe Biden, his current political foe. "That chart there's a few months old, mind you," Trump informed the crowd. "And if you're after a real downer..."
That’s when the shots rang out, at least five. Trump clutched his ear as dark-suited Secret Service agents dashed toward him. He dropped to the ground as the agents yelled, “Get down!” The thousands of rallygoers packed into the field in front of him moved as one, dropping down as silence spread across the grass, punctuated only by an occasional scream.
Associated Press reported that:
"Rico Elmore, vice chairman of the Beaver County Republican Party, was sitting in a section for special guests, facing President Trump, when he heard what sounded like firecrackers.
“So, everyone hesitated — and it was like, no, these are actual shots. So I yelled, ‘Get down!’”
"Elmore saw Secret Service agents helping Trump off the stage and then heard someone from his left calling for a medic.
"Elmore knows first aid and CPR from his time in the military, and he knew a medic wouldn’t be able to reach the cries for help fast enough.
He took off his tie and jumped a barricade, but when he reached the person, Elmore saw he had been shot in the head. Elmore said he held the victim’s head but it was too late. The man was unresponsive.
“I mean, it was a horror,” Elmore said.
“My heart is with the former President, those injured, and the family of the spectator killed in this horrific attack,” Garland said in a statement.
“We will not tolerate violence of any kind, and violence like this is an attack on our democracy. The Justice Department will bring every available resource to bear to this investigation.
"Trump’s campaign and the Republican National Committee say the party’s convention in Milwaukee this week will “proceed” after the rally shooting.
“President Trump looks forward to joining you all in Milwaukee as we proceed with our convention to nominate him to serve as the 47th President of the United States,” said Trump campaign advisers Susie Wiles and Chris LaCivita and Republican National Committee Chair Michael Whatley and co-chair Lara Trump in a statement.
The convention is set to open Monday as security in the USA are treating the shooting as an attempted murder.