Fear, anger, cheers: What I saw at the Trump rally shooting
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A Secret Service member points during the Trump rally Saturday in Butler, Pa. Photo: Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images
BUTLER, Pa. — When the shots rang out a little over six minutes into former President Trump's remarks, I was standing on a chair in the media area to get a good view of the stage.
- Suddenly Trump went down. Some of his supporters screamed; others ducked on the risers behind him while still others stood up, exposing themselves while trying to see where the shots were coming from.
What followed was a chaos that reflected the shock of the moment and the heated passion of Trump's most loyal supporters: shouts and screams by those near the wounded, cheers when a bloodied Trump raised his fist — and anger suddenly directed toward the cordoned area where I and other reporters were covering the rally.
- When the shots began I was standing next to my former Axios colleague Alayna Treene, who's now with CNN. Her security guard forced her down and then ushered her into a space below the media riser.
- A few moments later I did the same as the security guard positioned his body over hers, much as Secret Service agents were doing with Trump on the stage. That's when it hit me that we were in danger.
- Less than 90 seconds later, we peeked through the riser and emerged to face the anger of Trump supporters, who were turning on the media.
- "Fake news! This is your fault!" they yelled. "You're next! Your time is coming."
- A few tried to break into the media area but were stopped by security guards.
Once Trump had been ushered away by the Secret Service to cheers and chants of, "USA! USA!" the crowd of thousands scattered quickly.
- Many prayed. A few — not those who threatened reporters — stopped by to talk. One guy to whom I had offered a mint and water earlier on this hot day stopped to make sure I was OK.
- Colleen Phillips, 66, of Leechburg, Pa., told me that Trump showing he was OK after the shooting "means everything to me. ... I'm praying so hard. This is my first rally."
- "I heard six shots," Lisa Adrienne Cecilia, 61, of New Kensington, Pa., told me. "... I was praying that no one dies or gets hurt." It was her first rally, too.
Less than 20 minutes later the rally space had largely been cleared, and security was waving away reporters who lingered.
- I retrieved my bags of water and tangerines from what had been the media area. I noticed then that one of the big speaker columns used at the rally had either collapsed or been shot down.
- On the way out, I walked past an ambulance, and an Allegheny County bomb squad vehicle. A law enforcement officer said there was something suspicious "on the ground."
- "Everyone out!" the officer said. "Move, move."
