Trump rally shooting witness says he saw rifle-toting man ‘crawling up the roof’ before Secret Service ‘blew his head off’
A witness who was just outside thePennsylvania rally where a gunman attempted to assassinate Donald Trump Saturday night said he tried to alert Secret Service agents to a rifle-wielding man he spotted “bear crawling” onto the roof of a nearby building before gunshots rang through the crowd.
“We’re pointing at the guy crawling up the roof,” the witness, identified only as Greg, told the BBC of the surreal moment. “We could clearly see him with a rifle.”
“I’m standing there pointing at him for two to three minutes,” he continued. “Secret Service is looking at us from the top of the barn, I’m pointing at the roof...and next thing you know, five shots rang out.”
Former president Trump was just minutes into his rally in Butler when around 10 popping sounds interrupted his speech, sending the crowd into chaos. The former president collapsed behind his podium, as red-capped supporters behind him screamed and tried to duck.
Secret Service agents immediately jumped onto the stage, eventually hoisting up Trump, whose face was dripping with blood. He pumped his fist before agents helped him off stage and into a security vehicle.
Trump has since said he is “fine,” revealing in a graphic statement that he 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,” he said.
The shooting left one spectator dead and another two critically injured. Law enforcement officials said that a Secret Service sniper killed the shooter, who was outside the security perimeter.
The witness, who was wearing a red Trump 2024 visor, told the BBC that it was “absolutely” clear the shooter — who he