They say a picture is worth a thousand words, and that might be even more true in the world of press photography, with one image in particular circulating online following an assassination attempt on former US President Donald Trump.

To round up what is undoubtedly a rapidly evolving story, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has identified Thomas Matthew Crooks, 20, as the “involved subject” in the shooting of Trump, who was about 15 minutes into a speech at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, when several pops were heard.

Trump was then seen putting a hand to his right ear before running for cover, as Secret Service agents crowded around the Republican presidential nominee before leading him off stage.

The former president was also seen raising his fist in the air as he was led to safety, appearing to tell the crowd to “fight”.

The shooter was shot dead by Secret Service agents, while one person in the crowd at the rally was killed. Two others were injured.

In a message posted on his Truth Social platform after the incident, Trump wrote: “It is unbelievable that such an act could happen in our country.

“I was shot through the upper part of my right ear. I knew right away that something was wrong, I heard a whistling sound, gunshots, and I immediately felt the bullet go through my skin.

“There was a lot of bleeding, so I figured out what was going on.”

And news photographers captured the panic that ensued at that moment, with a shot by Getty Images’ Anna Moneymaker showing Trump on the ground, visible through a gap in the Secret Service group, with blood streaming down the side of his face.

Perhaps the most widely circulated photo after the shooting was one taken by Associated Press photographer Evan Vucci, showing Trump raising a defiant fist in the air as he was escorted by Secret Service agents, with the American flag flying behind him:

Now, Vucci has spoken to The Daily Beast “It’s a moment in history that needs to be documented, right? As a photographer, you have to be there. I can’t write about it later. I can’t go back in time and do it all again. So you have to do your job,” he said of the photo.

“What’s going to happen next? What should I do? Where should I be? What’s the light? What’s the composition? So these are the things that start going through your head.”

He added that it was about adopting a mindset of “doing your job now,” which he said was “informing the American public.”

“I hope they can look at the pictures and see what I saw that day,” he said.

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They say a picture is worth a thousand words, and that might be even more true in the world of press photography, with one image in particular circulating online following an assassination attempt on former US President Donald Trump.

To round up what is undoubtedly a rapidly evolving story, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has identified Thomas Matthew Crooks, 20, as the “involved subject” in the shooting of Trump, who was about 15 minutes into a speech at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, when several pops were heard.

Trump was then seen putting a hand to his right ear before running for cover, as Secret Service agents crowded around the Republican presidential nominee before leading him off stage.

The former president was also seen raising his fist in the air as he was led to safety, appearing to tell the crowd to “fight”.

The shooter was shot dead by Secret Service agents, while one person in the crowd at the rally was killed. Two others were injured.

In a message posted on his Truth Social platform after the incident, Trump wrote: “It is unbelievable that such an act could happen in our country.

“I was shot through the upper part of my right ear. I knew right away that something was wrong, I heard a whistling sound, gunshots, and I immediately felt the bullet go through my skin.

“There was a lot of bleeding, so I figured out what was going on.”

And news photographers captured the panic that ensued at that moment, with a shot by Getty Images’ Anna Moneymaker showing Trump on the ground, visible through a gap in the Secret Service group, with blood streaming down the side of his face.

Perhaps the most widely circulated photo after the shooting was one taken by Associated Press photographer Evan Vucci, showing Trump raising a defiant fist in the air as he was escorted by Secret Service agents, with the American flag flying behind him:

Now, Vucci has spoken to The Daily Beast “It’s a moment in history that needs to be documented, right? As a photographer, you have to be there. I can’t write about it later. I can’t go back in time and do it all again. So you have to do your job,” he said of the photo.

“What’s going to happen next? What should I do? Where should I be? What’s the light? What’s the composition? So these are the things that start going through your head.”

He added that it was about adopting a mindset of “doing your job now,” which he said was “informing the American public.”

“I hope they can look at the pictures and see what I saw that day,” he said.

Register to our free weekly newsletter Indy100

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Have your say on our media democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help this article move up in the indy100 rankings.