I could see blood on his face, says photographer who captured the assassination attempt on Trump

Former United States (US) president and current Republican presidential hopeful Donald Trump survived an assassination attempt on Saturday (July 13) during his campaign rally inButler, Pennsylvania. The shooter, identified as 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks was shot dead by Secret Service agents. Trump was not severely wounded but suffered an injury on his right ear.

Doug Mills, a photographer from the New York Times (NYT), captured the moment the bullet hit Trump's ear. Mills was present at the Butler rally as partof a small pool of photographers taking pictures in a buffer area near the stage.

"I could see blood on his face. I kept taking pictures," Mills told the NYT.

'I knew something was wrong'

The pictures that Mills clicked included one that a former Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) agent said showed the path of a bullet flying past Trump's head. Mills told the publication he knew something was wrong when he saw Trump drop behind the podium.

"I’m not around guns a lot, so I don’t know what they sound like. It sounded more to me like a motorcycle backfiring or a piece of farm equipment," Mills said.

"When I heard the noise, I didn’t immediately think somebody was shooting. When he went down and I saw the agents rushing the stage, I thought, Oh my God, he’s been shot," he added.

Mills further said that there was a moment when people were diving on the ground and a Trump staff member told him, "Doug, get down!”

"I thought, Oh my God, I could be shot. But I don’t know why, I just kept doing my job, trying to report a little history," he added.

The photographer also said that after Trump was rescued and taken away from the location, members of the Secret Service and law enforcement said, “Hey, all of you guys who are in the buffer have got to get out of here. You’re walking through a crime scene now.”

Suspect came within inches of killing Trump

What is unique about Crooks,when compared to other recent shooters in the USwho opened fire at schools, churches, malls, and parades,is that he came within inches of killing a presidential candidate.

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Crooks slipped onto a rooftop location 150 yards (140 metres) from the stage whereTrump was speaking in Butler.He then began firing an AR-15-style semiautomatic rifle, purchased by his father, officials told the news agency Reuters.

The gunfire killed a 50-year-old man, critically wounded two other spectators, and struckTrump's ear.

(With inputs from agencies)