News reporter gives first-hand account of the assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump.
“I crammed myself up onto the stairs leading to the risers for the press just yards from the stage as former President Donald Trump arrived at the Butler Farm Show fairgrounds around 6 p.m. Saturday,” he shares.
“Equipped with only my cell phone as I anticipated Trump’s signature entrance to Lee Greenwood’s ‘God Bless the USA,’ I snapped a selfie with hundreds of rallygoers on the ground behind me,” he continues.
Little did the reporter know that only 30 minutes all chaos would break loose and gunshots would be fired at the former president during his speech.
The FBI investigation has revealed the shooter to be 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks of nearby Bethel Park from a rooftop with a clear sight to the stage.
Trump’s right ear was grazed by a bullet, while an attendee in the line of fire was killed.
Amid the violence, a small group of men directed their anger toward the reporters on risers, accusing the media for pushing an angry discourse they said led a would-be killer to fire his own shot.
One even muttered about the beginning of a “civil war,” so convinced was he (correctly) that Trump would be badly hurt.
Trump was treated at Butler Memorial Hospital after the shooting to address his wounds. Four other spectators were wounded and one dead from the violent attack.
A lone woman on the sidewalk near the hospital entrance held a distasteful sign reading, “Wishing Trump a long, terrible recovery!”
Positive news would come from Trump’s campaign and the Secret Service, which issued respective statements saying he was “fine” and “safe.”
At approximately 9:00 pm, a helicopter was seen taking off from the hospital, suspected to be transporting Trump back to his family.
On the assassination attempt, the witness reporter discussed with a colleague that they’d just witnessed history.
It was one of those, “Where were you when…” moments — and I happened to be there.