Trump wounded in assassination attempt. Biden calls it 'sick': Here's what we know
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WASHINGTON − Former President Donald Trump was "fine" Saturday night after an assassination attempt left him with a bullet wound to the ear.
The gunman, identified by the FBI early Sunday as Thomas Matthew Crooks, opened fire on a sweltering campaign rally in Pennsylvania, and was killed by Secret Service agents, officials said. One spectator was killed and two others were "critically injured," the Secret Service said.
“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,” Trump said on Truth Social.
“I was shot with a bullet that pierced the upper part of my right ear," Trump said, adding that he "immediately felt the bullet ripping through the skin."
President Joe Biden condemned the shooting, telling reporters, "the idea – the idea – that there’s political violence, or violence in America like this, is just unheard of, it’s just not appropriate. Everybody, every must condemn it. Everybody."
Here's what we know about the attack:
Trump bloodied as shots rang out, spokesman says he's OK
The former president was speaking at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, when shots rang out and the presumptive 2024 Republican nominee grabbed his right ear before dropping to the stage floor.
Trump's ear and face were bloodied moments later when a cordon of Secret Service agents brought him to his feet.
Trump raised a defiant fist into the air as he was hustled off the stage and out of the rally.
“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,” Trump said in a statement on Truth Social.
More: Thomas Matthew Crooks identified as Trump shooter
“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," he wrote. "Much bleeding took place, so I realized then what was happening. GOD BLESS AMERICA!”
“President Trump thanks law enforcement and first responders for their quick action during this heinous act,” Trump spokesman Steven Cheung said in a statement earlier Saturday. “He is fine and is being checked out at a local medical facility.”
President Biden denounces 'political violence'
Speaking from Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, President Joe Biden denounced the attack.
“There is no place for this kind of violence in America. It’s sick. It’s sick,” Biden told reporters.
“It’s one of the reasons we have to unite this country. We cannot allow for this to be happening. We cannot be like this. We cannot condone this.”
Biden said he'd tried to reach Trump by phone. “So far it appears he is doing well,” the president said.
More: Uncertainty about RNC security after Trump is shot at Pennsylvania rally
Gunman Thomas Matthew Crooks killed by Secret Service
Crooks, the gunman, was positioned on a rooftop approximately 150 yards from the rally venue. A witness told BBC news he had tried to alert local law enforcement of the sniper moments before he opened fire.
The FBI said Crooks, 20, of Bethel Park, Pennsylvania, fired multiple shots from an “elevated position” outside of the Trump rally before Secret Service personnel “neutralized” the shooter, the law enforcement agency said.
The FBI hadn't established a motive as of early Sunday morning.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Donald Trump shot in the ear by lone gunman. Former president is 'fine'
