Trump says bullet "pierced the upper part of my right ear" when shots were fired at Pennsylvania rally

Former President Donald Trump took to Truth Social on Saturday night to thank the law enforcement officials for their quick actions after was "shot with a bullet that pierced the upper part of my right ear" during an incident at his rally in Pennsylvania earlier in the day.

Multiple shots were fired during the former president's rally before the suspected shooter was neutralized by a Secret Service sniper, according to law enforcement officials. One spectator is dead, and two more were critically injured. 

The presumptive Republican nominee said he heard "a whizzing sound, shots, and immediately felt the bullet ripping through the skin." It's not yet clear whether Trump was hit by a bullet or shrapnel, but blood was strewn across his ear and face as Secret Service agents ushered him offstage. 

"I want to thank The United States Secret Service, and all of Law Enforcement, for their rapid response on the shooting that just took place in Butler, Pennsylvania," Trump wrote on his social media platform, Truth Social. "Most importantly, I want to extend my condolences to the family of the person at the Rally who was killed, and also to the family of another person that was badly injured. It is incredible that such an act can take place in our Country. Nothing is known at this time about the shooter, who is now dead. I 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. Much bleeding took place, so I realized then what was happening. GOD BLESS AMERICA!"

President Biden delivered brief remarks from Rehoboth, Delaware, Saturday night, saying he hasn't spoken to Trump yet but hopes to do so soon. 

"There's no place in America for this kind of violence," the president said. "It's sick. It's sick. That's one of the reasons we have to unite this country. You cannot allow for this to be happening. We cannot be like this. We cannot condone this."

The suspect was shot and killed by a member of a Secret Service counter-assault team, two law enforcement sources told CBS News. The gunman was outside of the cordoned-off rally area about 400 feet from the stage, on the roof of a shed, sources said. The shooter was armed with a semi-automatic AR-15 rifle, according to multiple law enforcement sources.

In a statement early Sunday morning, the FBI identified the shooter as 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks of Bethel Park, Pennsylvania, which is located just outside Pittsburgh.   

Pat Milton contributed to this report 

In:
• Pennsylvania
• Trump Rally
• Donald Trump

Kathryn Watson

Kathryn Watson is a politics reporter for CBS News Digital, based in Washington, D.C.