Donald Trump assassination attempt: Shocking photo shows bullet flying past former president’s head before injuring him

At a Trump rally in Pennsylvania, a photo surfaced showing a bullet flying dangerously close to the former president’s head, moments before grazing his ear. The attack was accidentally documented by New York Times photographer Doug Mills, who was at the rally covering Trump’s speech when the situation escalated into a life-threatening situation for the Republican leader.

Bullet grazes Trump at Pennsylvania rally

Despite widespread support for the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, some Trump critics have called the attack a fabrication. However, a photo taken by Doug Mills clearly shows a bullet that narrowly missed Trump’s ear. It appears he narrowly escaped death.

Trump later addressed the incident, confirming that the bullet grazed the “upper part” of his right ear, in his Truth Social post. Earlier, Trump’s spokesperson assured the public that he was “fine” and receiving medical treatment, but that he would continue his upcoming Republican National Committee event in Milwaukee.

“It could very well be air displacement from a projectile,” is what Michael Harrigan thinks of the high-resolution image captured by the camera. He worked for the FBI for 22 years and is a retired special agent. “The angle seems a little low to have gone through his ear, but it’s not out of the question if the shooter fired multiple shots,” he told the NY Times in an interview after analyzing the photo up close. Additionally, law enforcement found an AR-15-style semi-automatic rifle at the scene when they shot the alleged shooter.

Also read: Who was Thomas Matthew, the 20-year-old shooter accused of attempting to assassinate Donald Trump?

Trump’s security was notified before the attack

After the Secret Service neutralized the attacker, the FBI took over to investigate the motive for the crime. Trump was rushed to a local hospital shortly after security guards shielded him from gunfire, forcing him to hide behind the podium as nine shots rang out. The special agents escorted him off stage, and as he left, he raised his fist to the crowd and chanted, “Fight, fight.”

Also read: Live updates on Trump rally shooting: Dead shooter identified as Thomas Matthew Crooks, 20

In an interview with the BBC, a witness claimed to have seen the attacker crawling on a nearby roof. The man said he alerted police and intelligence on several occasions. “We noticed a bear crawling on the roof of the building next to us, probably 15 metres away,” the man told the BBC. “So we pointed to the man crawling on the roof… he had a gun; we could clearly see him with a gun.”