Featured Image Credit: Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images
Topics: Donald Trump, US News, Politics
Anish Vij
Donald Trump was the target of an assassination attempt when a bullet narrowly missed his head on Saturday (13 July).
The former US president was speaking at a rally in Pennsylvania after several gunshots from a member of the crowd were aimed at the 78-year-old.
Watch below:
A bloodied Trump said he was shot in the ear as secret service agents rushed to his aid.
The Republican was then flown away to New Jersey after visiting a local Pennsylvania hospital.
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Taking to his social media site, Truth Social, Trump said: "I want to thank the United States Secret Service and all of Law Enforcement, for their rapid response on the shooting that just took place in Butler, Pennsylvania.
"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.
“It is incredible that such an act can take place in our country. Nothing is known at this time about the shooter, who is now dead.
"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.
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"Much bleeding took place, so I realised then what was happening. GOD BLESS AMERICA!"
The Secret Service confirmed in a statement earlier today (14 July) that the shooter 'is now deceased'.
They said: "US Secret Service personnel neutralised the shooter, who is now deceased. US Secret Service quickly responded with protective measures and the former president is safe and being evaluated."
The FBI has since identified the gunman as 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks, of Bethel Park, Pennsylvania.
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Below is a photo taken by New York Times photographer, Doug Mills, who captured the moment the bullet looked to narrowly miss Trump's head:
Breaking down the photo, Michael Harrigan, a retired FBI special agent, told the New York Times: “It absolutely could be showing the displacement of air due to a projectile.
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“The angle seems a bit low to have passed through his ear, but not impossible if the gunman fired multiple rounds.
“If the gunman was firing an AR-15-style rifle, the .223-caliber or 5.56-millimeter bullets they use travel at roughly 3,200 feet per second when they leave the weapon’s muzzle.
“And with a 1/8,000th of a second shutter speed, this would allow the bullet to travel approximately four-tenths of a foot while the shutter is open.”