Multiple videos have been doing the rounds of social media since former US President Donald Trump was shot in the right ear at his Pennsylvania rally today. One such shocking video shows an eyewitness recounting how they had spotted the shooter 5-7 minutes before gunshots were fired. The man is seen telling the BBC anchor that they did alert the Secret Service but no action was taken.
The witness told BBC that after 5 to 7 minutes of Trump speaking, they saw a guy crawling up the roof of the building on the side which was apparently 50 feet away from them. The man said that he himself along with other people started pointing to the man who was carrying a rifle and that they even pointed it out to the police who was there to guard Trump and maintain control. “They didn’t know what was going on. I thought to myself why is Trump still speaking and why has the security not pulled him off the stage? I was standing there pointing at the shooter for 2-3 minutes and the Secret Service was looking at us from the top of the barn and I kept pointing at the roof. Next thing I know, shots were fired,” he said.
In a statement released early Sunday, the FBI named Thomas Matthew Crooks, a 20-year-old from Bethel Park, Pennsylvania, as the individual involved in what they described as an attempted assassination. Crooks, identified as a registered Republican according to state voter records, was confirmed deceased by the Secret Service earlier, following an incident at a rally where one attendee was killed and two others injured. Law enforcement officials, addressing reporters, stated they had not yet determined a motive for the attack.
During the rally, President Trump, 78, had just commenced his speech when gunfire erupted. He reacted by clutching his right ear with his hand, inspecting it briefly, then dropping to his knees behind the podium as Secret Service agents shielded him. Emerging approximately a minute later, his red “Make America Great Again” hat dislodged, Trump was heard saying “wait, wait” before raising his fist in the air. He was then taken off from the stage by the security agents.