A BBC journalist has described the moment he had to take shelter on the ground after ‘half a dozen’ shots were fired during the attempted assassination of Donald Trump last night.
Gary O’Donoghue, 55, was filmed lying on a grass bank behind his car just 10 minutes into the former president’s speech when he heard gunshots.
As the crowd ran down the street behind him, the political correspondent said: “As we were about to go live on the BBC World Service, we heard some gunshots probably a few hundred metres from where we were.”
Recalling the terrifying experience, he said he heard about “half a dozen” gunshots and a woman screaming that someone had been shooting.
“A guy came up and said he thought there were a couple of snipers, but he wasn’t sure,” O’Donoghue added.
BBC political correspondent Gary O’Donoghue was filmed taking cover behind his car just 10 minutes into Trump’s speech when shots were fired.
Former US Prime Minister Donald Trump was the target of an assassination attempt on Saturday night after he was shot in the ear by 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks.
Trump was seen surrounded by Secret Service agents after the incident as he was rushed to hospital with blood running down his face.
Gunman Thomas Matthew Crooks, 20, was killed by Secret Service agents after carrying out his assassination attempt on the former US prime minister from a nearby rooftop.
Crouching on the ground in front of a group of billboards, the journalist explained that he and his team were waiting to see if the situation had cleared while hiding behind the “not ideal” shelter of their vehicle.
The speech was over and the blind journalist revealed that he could no longer hear Trump speaking as he tried to determine what had happened at the scene.
On Saturday afternoon at 6:15 pm, former US President Donald Trump was the target of an assassination attempt while delivering a speech at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.
The gunman has since been revealed to be Thomas Matthew Crooks, a 20-year-old registered Republican from Bethel Park, Pennsylvania.
It has since emerged through federal campaign finance records that the gunman was a registered Republican who had previously made a $15 donation to the liberal political action committee ActBlue on Jan. 20, 2021, the day of Biden’s inauguration.
From a rooftop about 150 yards from Trump’s stage, Crooks fired at least eight shots before the former president was seen clutching his bloodied ear.
Footage from the moment shows Trump being immediately led away by the US Secret Service as the crowd descended into chaos.
But in a show of force, Trump emerged from the protection of the suited officers and raised his fist, shouting: “Fight, fight, fight,” before being rushed to hospital.
Crooks had killed one member of the crowd and seriously wounded two others before being shot dead by the Secret Service.
The shooter died after firing from an “elevated position” outside the outdoor rally site, according to the Secret Service.
The footage shows at least four police officers surrounding the bloodied gunman and the AR-15-style semi-automatic rifle he used on the roof, while pointing their weapons at his body.
During the attack, Crooks appeared to be carrying merchandise promoting one of the most popular YouTube channels dedicated to firearms: Demolition Ranch, NBC News reported.
Secret Service agents surrounded the former president and rushed him to the hospital for treatment.
Trump emerged from behind the protection of the suited officers and raised his fist, shouting: ‘Fight, fight, fight.’
Snipers stand on a rooftop during Republican presidential candidate and former US President Donald Trump’s campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania
According to public court records in Pennsylvania, Crooks had no prior criminal history and officials said they are still working to identify a motive behind the shooting.
His father, Matthew Crooks, told CNN on Saturday night that he was trying to figure out “what the hell was going on” but would “wait until he talks to the police” before speaking about his son.
Authorities have not released additional information about the shooter.
“This remains an active and ongoing investigation,” the FBI said in a statement issued Sunday morning.
Last night, a bomb squad and agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives were at an address registered to Crooks as officers stood guard in front of yellow police caution tape.
Trump flew back to New Jersey before spending the night at his golf resort in Bedminster.
In a post on his social media site Truth Social, Trump thanked the Secret Service and other law enforcement agencies “for their swift response.”
“I knew immediately something was wrong because I heard a whistling sound, gunshots and immediately felt the bullet go through my skin,” she said on social media.
‘There was a lot of bleeding and then I realized what was happening.
“I want to thank the United States Secret Service and all law enforcement agencies for their quick response,” Trump added.
‘Most importantly, I would like to express my condolences to the family of the person who died in the demonstration, and also to the family of another person who was seriously injured.
“It is incredible that such an act could occur in our country.
‘GOD BLESS AMERICA!’
The shooter had apparently graduated in 2022 from Bethel Park High School, and received a $500 “star award” that year from the National Math and Science Initiative, according to a report by The Tribune-Review in Western Pennsylvania.
In an online recording of the 2022 graduation ceremony, he can be seen walking across the stage as the crowd applauds him, before briefly posing with a school official and accepting his diploma.