By Goodluck Ikiebe
Former United States President and presumptive Republican Party Presidential candidate in the November 2024 elections, Donald J. Trump, says he was hit by a ‘bullet that pierced the upper part of his right ear’ while speaking at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.
“With loud noises were heard in the crowd around 6.13 pm, Trump appeared to have been struck by something in the area of his right ear as he was speaking, and videos show him quickly clutching his ear and then ducking down to the ground, as security agents and others leap to his aid.
In a post on Truth Social, Donald Trump said he was hit by a “bullet that pierced the upper part of my right ear” when a gunman opened fire on his rally in Pennsylvania:
“It is incredible that such an act can take place in our Country,” Trump wrote, noting that the suspected shooter is dead.
He then gave his version of what transpired at the venue:
“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 immediately felt the bullet ripping through the skin. Much bleeding took place, so I realized then what was happening. God Bless America”
The former President also expressed gratitude to the Secret Service agents as well as other law enforcement officers for “their rapid response” in protecting him, even as he paid condolences to the rally attendee who was killed in the shooting.
“Mostly 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 [those] badly injured,” said Trump, who was taken to a hospital for evaluation and then reportedly released about 10.20 pm local time.
“Nothing is known at this time about the shooter, who is now dead,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform.
The rally location is now an active crime scene with Trump’s team and the Secret Service confirming that he was “fine” and being checked at a local medical facility.
Meanwhile, the Butler County district attorney confirmed that the suspected shooter and one rally attendee were dead. Another person at the rally was in serious condition. The Secret Service later said two people were critically injured.
The shooting is being investigated as an attempted assassination with the Secret Service sharing more details on the shooter’s position and confirming that the shooter was killed by the Secret Service.
