United States (US) President Joe Biden has ordered an “independent investigation” into the shooting incident that targeted his successor, Donald Trump, during a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania on Saturday by a gunman identified as Thomas Matthew Crooks.
Biden said Trump had been given a “heightened level of security” and would be provided with “every available resource” to ensure his protection. He added that security measures in Wisconsin, where the Republican Convention will be held starting Monday, will be elevated.
“I’ve directed the head of the Secret Service to review all security measures,” he said.
“We’ll share the results of that independent review with the American people”, he says, adding that “we must unite as one nation”.
Less than 24 hours after Donald Trump wrote on social media that “a bullet pierced the upper part of my ear”, he will soon board a plane for Wisconsin for the Republican National Convention, he wrote on Truth Social, his social media platform.
“Based on yesterday’s terrible events, I was going to delay my trip to Wisconsin,” he said.
But the former president said he “cannot allow a ‘shooter,’ or potential assassin, to force change to scheduling”.
“Therefore, I will be leaving for Milwaukee, as scheduled” at 1530 EDT (2030 BST).
He has long portrayed a tough-guy persona in his political career, including – most recently – when he pushed aside Secret Service agents to defiantly raise his fist after the shooting.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has announced that Trump was the target of an assassination attempt during a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania on Saturday when a gunman shot at the rally and apparently injured the presidential hopeful of the Republican party in the November election.
A visibly bloodied Trump was rushed off stage after gunshots were fired at the rally, but the FBI also said the gunman and an innocent bystander at the rally are dead, and two others are in serious condition.
“This evening we had what we are calling an assassination attempt against our former president, Donald Trump,” Kevin Rojek, FBI special agent in charge, said at a late-night press conference in Butler, Pa. The FBI may soon release the motive in the attack.
An undaunted Trump claimed he was shot in the ear, and his campaign team issued a statement which quoted him saying, “I will never surrender.”
According to Secret Service spokesman Anthony Guglielmi, the suspected shooter fired multiple shots toward the stage at approximately 6:15 p.m. He said the shooter was in an elevated position outside the rally but officials said the gunman is dead.
Lt. Col. George Bivens of the Pennsylvania State Police said law enforcement is following up on a “number of suspicious occurrences” including accounts from witnesses who said they tried to flag police about the activity of a person outside the rally moments before the shooting.
“It is surprising” Rojek said when asked about the alleged gunman’s close proximity to the rally. He said the gunman’s proximity is among the details that will come out in the investigation. Rojek added: “The Secret Service really needs to answer that question. They conducted the initial site survey.”
The shots started coming as Trump reportedly covered his ear when attendees at the rally began screaming as agents pushed Trump to the ground.
The Secret Service then took the former president away from the scene, raising his fist. Trump’s spokesperson, Steven Cheung, confirmed in a statement that the former president is “fine,” adding that doctors are attending to him at a medical facility.