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Tue. Sep 10th, 2024

The video shows the moment Secret Service snipers kill a Trump gunman

The video shows the moment Secret Service snipers kill a Trump gunman

Video circulating on X showed two Secret Service snipers stationed on a rooftop near former President Donald Trump, responding to shots fired by an unidentified gunman — both of whom quickly took aim and opened fire.

The gunman, identified only as a white man, shot and wounded Trump after crawling onto the roof of AGR International, Inc., a building about 130 feet from where the 45th president was speaking at Butler Farm Show.

A senior law enforcement source told The Post that Trump “came within inches of being shot in the face” before Secret Service snipers returned fire.

Another participant was killed, according to a local prosecutor, and the US Secret Service confirmed that two spectators were seriously injured.

“I was shot with a bullet that went through the top of my right ear,” the 78-year-old presumptive Republican presidential nominee said Saturday night in his first statement since being rushed to hospital from Pittsburgh.

“I immediately knew something was wrong as I heard a whoosh, gunshots and immediately felt the bullet tear through the skin. There was a lot of bleeding, so I realized then what was going on,” Trump said on his Truth Social account.

“I want to thank the United States Secret Service and all law enforcement for their quick response to the shooting that just happened in Butler, Pennsylvania,” he added.

“Most importantly, I want to send my condolences to the family of the person at the rally who was killed, as well as the family of another person who was seriously injured. It is unbelievable that such an act can take place in our country.”

The gunman had no ID on him and did not attend the rally, according to sources.

His AR-style rifle was recovered at the scene, sources told The Associated Press.

Trump stood up and pumped the crowd as Secret Service agents swarmed him after the shooting, prompting cheers as he urged them to “Fight! The fight! The fight!”

Everything we know about Trump’s apparent assassination attempt


Stay up-to-date with the Post’s live blog on the Trump assassination attempt

House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer (R-Ky.) later announced that his group would investigate the shooting and hold a public hearing with the head of the U.S. Secret Service.

“I have already contacted the Secret Service for a briefing and I am also subpoenaing the Director of the Secret Service, Kimberly Cheatle, to appear for a hearing. The Oversight Committee will send a formal invitation soon,” Comer said in a statement.

“My prayers go out to President Trump and the victims of the assassination attempt at today’s rally in Pennsylvania. Thank you to the brave members of the Secret Service who put their lives on the line to protect President Trump, and to the American patriots in the audience who helped others who were injured,” he added.

“It’s a miracle that Donald Trump is alive. Let’s call it what it was. An assassination attempt with at least one innocent bystander killed,” said Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) at X. “The nation needs to know who did this. And why. And we need a full public investigation by Congress into HOW it happened.”

Politicians of all stripes were also quick to denounce the violence.

“Everyone joins me in praying for our President Trump and everyone at that rally. I hope everyone is OK,” Sen. JD Vance (R-Ohio) posted on X, the first member of Congress to comment on the shooting.

President Biden made brief remarks near his vacation home in Rehoboth Beach, Del. and said he planned to speak with Trump later that evening.

“There is no place in America for this kind of violence. He’s sick. He’s sick,” Biden, 81, said. “It’s one of the reasons we have to unite this country. We cannot allow this to happen. We can’t be like that. We cannot tolerate this.”

“While we don’t yet know exactly what happened, we should all be relieved that former President Trump was not seriously injured and use this moment to recommit to civility and respect in our politics,” added former President Barack Obama on X. “Michelle and I wish her a speedy recovery.”

“Now is the time for every American who loves our country to step back from division, renounce all violence, and unite in prayer for President Trump and his family,” said independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

A spokesman for the US Secret Service did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

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