(Dan Tri) - A witness said he saw the gunman climb onto the roof before the shooting at former US President Donald Trump's campaign event.
The moment Mr. Trump was shot while campaigning
Former President Donald Trump was escorted off stage after the shooting occurred on July 13 (Photo: Reuters).
Greg, a witness, told the BBC that he was outside the venue of Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump's campaign event in Pennsylvania on July 13. Suddenly, Greg saw a man on the roof, while still hearing Mr Trump speaking at the event.
"We found him crawling up on the roof of the building next door, about 15 meters away from us. He had a rifle, we could clearly see he was holding a rifle," Greg said.
Greg said he notified police in the vicinity, but officers “had no idea what was going on” and Mr Trump was not immediately evacuated.
"I was wondering: Why is Trump still talking? Why don't they pull him off the stage? I stood there pointing at him for two, three minutes… Next thing you know, five shots rang out," the witness recounted.
CNN cited three law enforcement sources confirming that the suspect opened fire outside former President Donald Trump's campaign rally in Pennsylvania.
Two of the sources said the suspect opened fire on a rooftop outside the event area. Many sources said the suspect was a sniper, although details remain unclear.
Butler County Prosecutor Richard Goldinger said the suspect opened fire in a building adjacent to the Trump campaign event site.
"The building was several hundred metres from the stage and the suspect would have needed a rifle," the prosecutor said.
The US Secret Service also confirmed that the suspect shot Mr. Trump from a "high" position.
"During former President Trump's campaign event in Butler, Pennsylvania, at approximately 6:15 p.m. on July 13, a suspect fired multiple shots toward the stage from an elevated position outside the campaign venue," the US Secret Service said.
The US Secret Service confirmed that the shooter has been taken into custody and that the suspect is dead. The identity of the person has not been released.
"The Secret Service responded quickly with protective measures and former President Trump is safe. One spectator died and two were seriously injured. This incident is under investigation and the Secret Service has notified the FBI," the Secret Service added.
ABC News cited law enforcement sources as saying that the suspect stood on the roof and used a rifle to attack the target at Mr. Trump's campaign. The source said the suspect was only 200-300 meters away from the event before opening fire.
Pennsylvania Congressman Daniel Meuser told CNN he was sitting in the front row at a Trump campaign event with other lawmakers when the shooting occurred.
“People started screaming, begging for a doctor and it was a bloody scene,” Mr Meuser recalled.
The event started out like a regular rally, but then gunfire quickly erupted, Mr. Meuser said.
"Many people were extremely frightened, but they calmed down after a short while, especially when President Trump stood up and raised his fist," the US congressman said.
After being escorted off stage by Secret Service and to safety, Mr Trump spoke out about the attack and admitted he "could not believe such an act could happen" in the US.
Mr Trump said he was hit by a bullet "through the upper part of his right ear". He "immediately knew something was wrong when he heard a whistling sound, a pop, and then immediately felt the bullet graze his skin".
"There was a lot of blood so I knew what was going on," Mr. Trump said.
Mr Trump's advisers confirmed the former president was fine, while his children said he remained in "good spirits" following the incident.
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