Pennsylvania, United States

Donald Trump, the presumptive Republican Party presidential candidate, was shot at in an assassination attempt during a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania on Saturday (July 13) and survived miraculously with a bullet hitting his right ear.

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Who shot at Trump?

The "subject involved" in the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump has been identified by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) as 20-year-old Thomas Mathew Crooks. His motive for trying to kill Trump is not clear at the moment. He attempted the horrific act using an AR-style rifle.

He graduated from the Bethel Park High School, the school district confirmed Sunday. He graduated with the Class of 2022.

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Also read | Donald Trump dodges death as gunman shoots at him during Campaign Rally in Pennsylvania

Where was the shooter firing from?

The US Secret Service in a statement said that the suspected shooter "fired multiple shots toward the stage from an elevated position outside the rally" before being "neutralised" by agents.

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As per a BBC report, a person who described himself as an 'eyewitness', said he saw the shooter crawling up a roof near the event. The person said that he and the people he was with had spotted the shooter and started pointing at the man, trying to alert security.

The gun that was used in the attack was reportedly bought by Crooks's father.

The shots, as per Reuters, appeared to have come from outside the area secured by Trump's Secret Service team, said the service in its statement.

A local prosecutor, according to an AFP report, confirmed that the shooter was outside the event grounds. 

"I don't know how he would have gotten to the location where he was, but he was outside the grounds. And I think that's something that we're going to have to figure out how he got there," said Butler County district attorney Richard Goldinger.

Also read | Trump rally shooting: Biden, Modi and other political bigwigs 'grateful' former prez safe after attack

Eyewitness recalls chaos as Trump was shot at

Speaking to the news agency, a Trump supporter who was in the crowds said, "I heard about four shots and I saw the crowd go down and then Trump ducked also real quick. Then the Secret Service all jumped and protected him as soon as they could. We are talking within a second they were all protecting him."

The man, identified as Ron Moose, describing the chaos, said that he heard additional shots, but was unsure who fired them. 

(With inputs from agencies)