The Trump shooting in 160 seconds: Inside the assassination attempt, moment by moment

Before any shots were fired, some people in Butler, Pennsylvania, knew something was amiss. A man crawling along a roof, armed with a rifle, had caught the attention of some Trump supporters gathered just outside the rally, out of Trump’s sight but within earshot.

“We could clearly see him with a rifle. We’re pointing at him,” a witness later told the BBC. “I’m thinking, ‘Why is Trump still speaking? Why have they not pulled him off the stage?’”

What happened next over 2½ minutes – all captured on live television and on mobile phones – will become a significant moment in US history; one which, months away from the presidential election, may yet change the course of history, too.

6.11PM (20 seconds):
At that exact moment, Trump was directing his audience to a chart depicting illegal immigration numbers. “That’s a little bit old, that chart, that chart’s a couple of months old,” he says. “And if you really want to see something that’s sad, take a look at what happened ...”

Credit: CSPAN

6.11PM (34 seconds):
This is the moment the first round of gunshots is heard; three quick pops rather than deep booms. Witness Robert Razzano later told ABC News it “sounded like they were of a smaller calibre”.

The FBI has identified the shooter as Thomas Matthew Crooks, 20, of Bethel Park, Pennsylvania.Credit: Backgrid / TMZ

6.11PM (35 seconds):
Immediately after the first shot, Trump grabs his ear, just as the second shot is fired and people in the crowd begin to gasp. The former president crouches below the podium.

6.11PM (36 seconds):
On the third shot, people are picked up by the microphones saying “duck, duck”, and several Secret Service agents rush on stage, staying low, to shield Trump on the ground. Some come from behind Trump, and some from the side.

A photo captures a projectile flying past Donald Trump’s head.Credit: New York Times

6.11PM (38 seconds):
More shots can be heard, as people in the audience crouch and scream. Directly behind where Trump was speaking, one woman continues recording on her phone, while ducking slightly.

Credit: Getty Images

6.11PM (41 seconds):
The shots cease for a few seconds. One photographer hangs to the side of the stage trying to capture images of Trump as he is shielded, while another rushes over to join him. More suited agents jump on stage and join the throng protecting Trump.

6.11PM (44 seconds):
On the roof of a nearby shed, behind the stage and to its right, at least two Secret Service snipers have their guns trained towards the shooter. One kneels on the tin roof with his hands clasped on a tripod-mounted weapon, while another behind him stays low, eyes firmly on his viewfinder.

Credit: AP

6.11PM (48 seconds):
After about 10 seconds of panic, another solitary gunshot goes off. This prompts at least one blood-curdling scream to ring out over the assembly. There is little movement on stage as the agents hold Trump in place.

6.11PM (58 seconds):
After another eight to nine seconds, the agents get ready to help Trump to his feet. “Hold, hold. When you’re ready. On you,” one says.

Credit: AP

6.12PM (01 seconds):
By this point, agents armed with machine guns are on stage. One patrols his way across the stage in front of the podium, scanning the crowd. Another keeps his gun trained stage-left, towards where they are preparing to take Trump. Some in the crowd behind Trump are looking out to their right, apparently toward the shooter.

Credit: AP

6.12PM (17 seconds):
After another 15 seconds, voices on the live feed, seemingly the agents being picked up by the live microphones on stage, can be heard saying “Shooter’s down”. “Are we good to move?” one says. “We’re clear.” “Let’s move, let’s move.”

6.12PM (27 seconds):
It is another 10 or so seconds before they begin lifting Trump to his feet. It’s at that point that he can be heard saying for the first time: “Let me get my shoes.”

Credit: AP

6.12PM (35 seconds):

An agent says, “I got you, sir,” as Trump comes back into view. “Let me get my shoes,” Trump repeats. People in the front row of the audience are filming on their phones. Behind the stage, some people are staring and pointing to their right, towards where the shooter has apparently been taken down.

Credit: AP

6.12PM (38 seconds):
An agent shoves the podium out of their way as Trump struggles to his feet. His hair is askew and he is without his signature red Make America Great Again cap.

6.12PM (43 seconds):
Trump again says he wants to get his shoes, but he keeps half an eye on the crowd in front of him, when his view isn’t being obstructed by the agents.

6.12PM (48 seconds):
Then, just as the team of agents is preparing to move him off the stage, Trump says: “Wait, wait, wait.” He looks out toward the crowd and the cameras between the heads of two agents assisting him, and raises his fist in defiance. That image has since been beamed around the world.

Credit: AP

6.12PM (51 seconds)
At this point, the crowd erupts into cheers. Behind Trump, we can see his supporters emerge from their crouching positions and rise to their feet. As he pumps his fist, Trump repeatedly mouths something to the crowd, which most news sites have reported as: “Fight. Fight. Fight.”

6.12PM (52 seconds):
From the main camera feed, we can now see clearly for the first time that there is blood coming from Trump’s right ear, some of which is smeared across his right cheek and on to his lips.

Credit: AP

6.12PM (59 seconds):
A minute and 25 seconds after the first gunshot was fired, Trump is moved off the stage shielded by Secret Service agents. At this moment, incredibly, the crowd then begins chanting: “USA! USA! USA!”

Credit: Getty Images

6.13PM (06 seconds):
Trump looks again to the crowd and gives another few jabs of his fist as he’s about to start down the stairs to leave the stage. He is escorted down the stairs to more “USA!” chants.

6.13PM (30 seconds):
It takes about 20 to 25 seconds for them to escort Trump to the back seat of a waiting car. He raises his fist high in the air and turns his head halfway back towards the roaring crowd as he is helped into the vehicle, followed by agents.

Credit: AP

6.14PM (00 seconds):
Two-and-a-half minutes after the first shot was heard, Trump’s car leaves, while armed military personnel enter. A number of members of the crowd yell and raise their middle fingers toward the cameras. One woman is heard shouting: “Report the f---ing truth, assholes.”

The Washington Post reported other remarks yelled in the direction of the media included, “You wanted political violence, now you got it. Hope you’re all f---ing happy.” Another person reportedly said: “The liberal media is responsible.”

Very quickly, phone video emerged of the suspected shooter lying on the tin roof of a barn, having been shot dead by Secret Service snipers. The would-be assassin was later identified as a 20-year-old man from Pennsylvania, Thomas Matthew Crooks.

The barn was within close proximity of Trump’s podium, about 125 metres. The Secret Service is investigating how Crooks was able to get so close to the former president, armed with an AR-style rifle, and injure him. Republicans in Congress will also demand answers at a committee hearing.