Donald Trump was swiftly escorted off the stage at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, after apparent gunshots echoed through the crowd. He quickly took cover behind the podium as his protective detail agents rushed to the stage, while screams erupted from the audience.

 Former President Donald Trump was the target of an apparent assassination attempt Saturday at a Pennsylvania rally, just days before he was to accept the Republican nomination for a third time. A barrage of gunfire triggered panic, and a bloodied Trump, who said he was shot in the ear, was surrounded by Secret Service agents and hurried to his SUV as he pumped his fist in a show of defiance.

Trump’s campaign reported that the presumptive GOP nominee was doing “fine” after the shooting, which he said pierced the upper part of his right ear.

“I knew immediately that something was wrong when I heard a whizzing sound, shots, and immediately felt the bullet ripping through the skin. Much bleeding took place,” he wrote on his social media site.

Early Sunday, the FBI identified the shooter as Thomas Matthew Crooks, 20, of Bethel Park, Pennsylvania, and stated that the investigation is ongoing.

According to the Secret Service, agents fatally shot Crooks, who attacked from an elevated position outside the rally venue at a farm show in Butler, Pennsylvania.

Authorities reported that one attendee was killed and two spectators were critically injured, all of whom were identified as men.

The attack was the most serious attempt to assassinate a president or presidential candidate since Ronald Reagan was shot in 1981. It has intensified concerns about political violence in a deeply polarized U.S. just under four months before the presidential election and could impact the tenor and security measures at the Republican National Convention, which begins Monday in Milwaukee.

Organizers have stated that the convention will proceed as planned.

Trump flew to New Jersey after visiting a local Pennsylvania hospital, landing shortly after midnight at Newark Liberty International Airport. Video posted by an aide showed the former president deplaning his private jet, flanked by U.S. Secret Service agents and heavily armed members of the agency’s counter assault team, an unusually visible show of force by his protective detail.

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