Authorities have identified the shooter involved in the attack against former US president Donald Trump on Saturday.
The FBI has named 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks in a statement as the gunman who authorities took down at the scene of the shooting.
Crooks, a resident of Bethel Park, Pennsylvania, fired at the former US president from a rooftop outside the rally just before 6:15 p.m.
After the shooting Trump's campaign said he was fine and according to the Associated Press, the shooting is being investigated as an assassination attempt.
As the former president was speaking, bangs started ringing through the crowd.
Trump was seen touching his ear and then crouching to the ground. Agents from his protective detail rushed the stage and shielded Trump before escorting him to an SUV. Trump raised his fist and waved to the crowd as he was escorted away. Blood could be seen on his ear and face.
Later that night, Trump issued a statement on his social media platform saying he "was shot with a bullet that pierced the upper part of my right ear."
He also thanked the Secret Service and law enforcement for its rapid response to the shooting.
President Joe Biden addressed the media later that evening, saying he'd been briefed on the situation and wished Trump and his family well, while urging the nation to come together.
“There’s no place in America for this type of violence,” he said. “It’s sick. It’s sick.”
