Donald Trump was left bloodied after “multiple shots” were fired in the former president’s direction at a campaign rally in Pennsylvania.
He was immediately bundled offstage to his motorcade by Secret Service agents, with blood visible around his right ear and streaking across his face.
Trump was taken to a nearby hospital, and declared “safe” by the Secret Service.
One spectator was killed and two others critically injured in the shooting, later described by the Federal Bureau of Investigation as an “assassination attempt” that could be considered an act of domestic terrorism.
The Secret Service said its personnel had killed the man identified as the shooter, with authorities still investigating his motives.
Here is everything we know so far.
What happened?
Trump was speaking at an outdoor rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, around 34 miles north of Pittsburgh.
The former president had been showing his supporters a chart about border crossings just minutes into his speech on the grounds of the Butler Farm Show when the gunshots rang out, at around 6.15pm local time on Saturday evening.
He quickly ducked after the volley of bullets interrupted the campaign speech, and before Secret Service agents could rush onto the stage to form a protective mass around the former president.
Seconds later, Trump was hauled up by his security detail, raising his right fist in a defiant salute to the crowd, shouting: “Fight!”
Blood was visible at the top of his right ear, with two streaks headed towards his mouth, as he was hurried to his motorcade and taken to a hospital.
Analysis of footage and testimonies from witnesses suggested at least seven or eight shots were fired in two bursts.
As the hail of gunfire was unleashed in the direction of the former president, the audience watching on screamed, “get down, get down” and “shots fired”.
The Secret Service quickly hurried to evacuate the area, with mobile phones and even an electric wheelchair being left behind in the confusion.
Some supporters held hands in prayer, while others chanted: “USA!”
Is Donald Trump hurt?
On Saturday night, an aide to Trump shared footage on social media that showed him walking unaided down stairs from his private jet, closely flanked by two security guards.
He waved in the direction of the camera but his injured right ear was not on display throughout the short video clip.
The Trump presidential campaign and the Republican National Committee said he would attend the Republican convention in Milwaukee, which is scheduled to begin on Monday, when Trump is formally expected to accept his party’s nomination for president.
The campaign said that he still “looks forward to joining [supporters] at the convention”.
Trump campaign advisers said he was in “great spirits” and “doing well,” in a memo to staff on Sunday obtained by AP.
Who were the other casualties?
A former fireman was killed while shielding his family from bullets as a gunman opened fire at a Donald Trump rally on Saturday.
Corey Comperatore, 50, dived in front of his wife and daughter to shield them.
Allyson Comperatore said that her “real-life superhero” father had saved her life, calling him “the best dad a girl could ask for”.
“He threw my mom and I to the ground… he shielded my body from the bullet that came at us. He loved his family,” she wrote on social media.
“He truly loved us enough to take a real bullet for us. And I want nothing more than to cry on him and tell him thank you.
“I want nothing more than to wake up and for this to not be reality for me and my family.”
The two other victims who were shot and critically injured have been named as 57-year-old David Dutch and 74-year-old James Copenhaver.
They were flown by helicopter to Allegheny General Hospital in Pittsburgh, Dan Laurent, the hospital spokesman, said.
Who is the gunman?
The FBI identified him as Thomas Matthew Crooks, a 20-year-old man from Pennsylvania.
Former classmates have described him as a “loner” and an “outcast” who during his school years was teased about his appearance.
The Secret Service said the gunman had fired “from an elevated position outside of the rally venue” using an AR-15-type semi automatic rifle which was recovered at the scene.
The federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives said it was attempting to track the weapon against its national firearms database. The firearm was legally purchased by the gunman’s father, investigators said.
Crooks was a registered Republican, the Associated Press reported. The New York Times, however, reported that federal campaign finance records show he donated $15 to the Progressive Turnout Project, a liberal voter group, through the Democratic donation platform AceBlue in January 2021.
Crooks acted alone and was attempting to assassinate the former president, the FBI said.
Police searched his home, in the small post-industrial town of Bethel Park where locals said they were shocked and did not want one bad person to taint the image of their community.
Bomb-making equipment was found on the property and officers also discovered explosives inside Crooks’ car which was found parked near the rally site.
The Secret Service said its personnel had killed the gunman, but did not go into detail about how he was “neutralised”.
Video captured at the scene showed a man’s lifeless body on a shed rooftop.
Witnesses said they had reported his presence to both the police and Secret Service before the shooting started.
“We noticed a guy army-crawling, bear-crawling, up the roof,” an eyewitness told the BBC. “You can clearly see him with a rifle.”
Open source intelligence reports suggested the gunman was less than 150 yards away, with a direct line of sight to the stage.
What has Trump said?
Trump confirmed in a post on Truth Social that he had been shot and thanked law enforcement for protecting him.
“I want to thank the United States Secret Service, and all of law enforcement, for their rapid response [to] the shooting that just took place in Butler, Pennsylvania,” he said.
“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.
“Much bleeding took place, so I realised then what was happening. God bless America!”
What has the US President said?
Joe Biden, who spoke to Trump late on Saturday, described the incident as “sick” and a reason “why we have to unite this country”.
“There’s no place in America for this kind of violence,” Mr Biden added.
He later said that the shooting “calls on all of us to take a step back” and to lower the temperature of political debate.
“We can’t allow this violence to be normalised,” Mr Biden said on Sunday night.
“The political rhetoric in this country has gotten very heated. It’s time to cool it down. We all have a responsibility to do this.”
He said that in the US “we resolve our differences at the ballot box” rather than “with bullets”, adding that “the power to change in America should always rest in the hands of the people, not in the hands of a would-be assassin.”
Security around the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee would be reviewed, he confirmed.
Kamala Harris, the vice-president, said she was “relieved” that Trump was not seriously hurt and said she was praying for him.
How has the world reacted?
The shooting drew condemnation from leaders across the world and the US political spectrum, including those largely critical of Trump.
Barack Obama, the former president, said he and his wife, Michelle, wished Trump a speedy recovery.
“There is absolutely no place for political violence in our democracy,” he said.
“Although we don’t yet know exactly what happened, we should all be relieved that former president Trump wasn’t seriously hurt, and use this moment to recommit ourselves to civility and respect in our politics.”
George W Bush, former president, called it a “cowardly attack”.
International leaders also moved to denounce the assassination attempt, with Sir Keir Starmer, the Prime Minister, saying he was “appalled by the shocking scenes at president Trump’s rally and we send him and his family our best wishes”.
“Political violence in any form has no place in our societies and my thoughts are with all the victims of this attack,” Sir Keir added.
Ursula von der Leyen, the president of the European Commission, said she was “deeply shocked”.
Emmanuel Macron, the French president, said the shooting was a “tragedy for our democracies”.
“Such violence has no justification and no place anywhere in the world. Never should violence prevail,” Volodymyr Zelensky, the Ukrainian president, said.
“I am relieved to learn that Donald Trump is now safe and wish him a speedy recovery.”
Jens Stoltenberg, Nato’s secretary-general, wrote: “I am shocked by the attempted assassination on former president Trump. I wish him a speedy recovery and my thoughts are with those affected. I condemn this attack. Political violence has no place in our democracies. Nato allies stand together to defend our freedom and values.”
This story is being kept up to date with the latest information
