Trump’s private jet landed shortly after midnight Sunday at Newark Liberty International Airport.
Video posted by an aide showed the former president deplaning, flanked by U.S. Secret Service agents and heavily armed members of the agency’s counter-assault team.
Strong and resilient. He will never stop fighting for America. pic.twitter.com/B9yR3SLQJV
— Margo Martin (@margomartin) July 14, 2024
It was an unusually visible show of force by his protective detail.
Trump planned to spend the night at his private golf club in nearby Bedminster, New Jersey.
VIDEO OF SHOOTING
Trump released a statement on Truth Social.
“I was shot with a bullet that pierced the upper part of my right ear,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “I knew immediately that something was wrong in that I heard a whizzing sound, shots, and immediately felt the bullet ripping through the skin.”
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A witness who identified as “Greg” told The BBC that he was in the rally when he saw a suspicious man armed with a rifle “bear-crawling up the roof” of a nearby building and he alerted police.
“The next thing you know, five shots ring out,” he said.
During the shooting, Trump stopped speaking to the crowd, held his right ear, and moved lower behind the podium. The U.S. Secret Service surrounded Trump. The witness said he saw the U.S. Secret Service kill the shooter.
“They crawled up on the roof, they had their guns pointed at him, made sure he was dead,” the witness said. “He was dead, and that was it. It was over.”
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The loud communication among the agents reflected a coordinated response. Someone near Trump shouted, “Shooter is down!”
There was blood on Trump when he stood back up. He raised his right fist, as U.S. Secret Service agents formed a ring around him to protect him while moving him away from the podium.
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The agents took him away from the crowd and into a vehicle. Some in the crowd screamed in terror. The U.S. Secret Service counterattack group in military gear rushed into the rally to search for the threat. U.S. Secret Service agents in suits wielded their guns.
Rico Elmore, a Republican who was a speaker at the rally, told CNN that he was walking away from the stage where Trump was when the shooting happened. He saw a man he had never met get shot.
“I jumped over the barrier and put my hand on the guy’s head that was profusely bleeding,” Elmore said.
The U.S. Secret Service later released a statement saying the incident was an “active investigation.”
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Law enforcement evacuated the rally and used crime scene tape to block an area. A police helicopter flew above the area.
Steven Cheung, a spokesman for the Trump campaign, released a statement: “President Trump thanks law enforcement and first responders for their quick action during this heinous act. He is fine and is being checked out at a local medical facility. More details will follow.”
Photos from the rally
CNN, ABC News, and the Associated Press contributed to this report. Torres is reporting from the Local 10 News headquarters in Pembroke Park.
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