New footage shows the dramatic seconds after former President Donald Trump was shot in the head. Secret Service agents helped him off the stage and into his car, shielding his head with only one hand.
Moments after Thomas Crooks, 20, attempted to assassinate the presidential candidate at a campaign rally in Pennsylvania on Saturday night, chaos ensued as security agents rushed to get the 78-year-old to safety.
Witness footage first shows an officer in a black suit and sunglasses running to Trump’s black armored Chevrolet and holding the door open in anticipation of the former president’s arrival from the podium.
The camera then zooms in on the red stage, where hundreds of stunned attendees can be seen as Trump is pushed to the ground and protected by the bodies of at least nine police officers.
Two armed agents dressed in black and camouflage protective gear also ran onto the stage to communicate with Secret Service agents and determine a safe route to get Trump to safety.
New footage shows the seconds after the chaotic shooting of former President Donald Trump before he is thrown from the stage
A team of at least nine Secret Service agents swarmed Trump as they moved him from the stage to his armored Chevrolet
Without any other form of head protection, an officer was seen shielding the politician’s head with only his bare hand moments after he was shot in the ear
Tensions mounted as officers reluctantly lifted the wounded politician. Trump supporters cautiously looked around and spoke to officers as they tried to piece together what had happened.
After a few seconds of commotion from the crowd, Trump is shown fully upright and standing as several officers swarm around him.
But that doesn’t stop the former president from defiantly raising his fist in the air and memorably shouting “Fight!” at the crowd, then pumping his fist three times.
The gesture sent the crowd wild, with footage showing them jumping in the air and cheering on the injured candidate.
Trump’s show of force didn’t last long, however, as the Secret Service quickly took action and dragged him down the steps from the stage.
As the group ran down the catwalk, draped in the American flag and surrounded by ecstatic fans, they gathered around the bleeding ex-president until one of them raised his hand to protect Trump’s head.
No other form of shielding or protection was used to cover his head as he ducked and ran to his car, surrounded by his enthusiastic team of security personnel.
When he finally reaches the car door, Trump pumps his fist in the air once more in a courageous speech to the crowd, before being shoved into the backseat and rushed to the hospital.
Trump made it safely to his car before being taken to the hospital for treatment of his gunshot wound
He defiantly threw his first punch in the air in a display of strength that sent the crowd wild before he was ejected from the campaign rally
On Sunday, the shooter was identified by the FBI as Thomas Crooks, a 20-year-old from Bethel Park, Pennsylvania.
He was shot by the Secret Service shortly after firing at least eight shots in the direction of the former president.
This raised serious questions about whether the two teams of Secret Service snipers completely missed the shooter until it was too late, and how Crooks was able to fire so many shots before he was shot.
A witness to the killing said he alerted Secret Service agents to a man with a gun on a nearby roof minutes before they opened fire.
The witness, Greg Smith, told DailyMail.com that he saw the suspected gunman climb onto a roof outside the event and was stunned by the lack of action from officers.
“I thought to myself, ‘Why is Trump still talking, why didn’t they take him off the stage?'” he said. “The next thing you know, five shots go off.”
Federal campaign finance records showed the shooter was a registered Republican who had previously made a $15 donation to the liberal political action committee ActBlue on Jan. 20, 2021, the day of Biden’s inauguration.
Explosives were later found in his car and home after his father, Matthew Crooks, 53, legally purchased the AR-15 his son used to assassinate Trump.
Thomas Crooks, 20, was identified by the FBI on Sunday as the shooter. He was shot by the Secret Service moments after firing at least eight rounds in Trump’s direction, hitting him in the ear.
A remote detonator was seen next to Thomas Crooks’ body and his cell phone after he was shot dead
Police officers stand on a roof near the body of Thomas Matthews Crooks on Saturday, near the Trump rally
As Trump pumped his fist toward the crowd, he shouted, “Fight!” causing the crowd to jump to their feet and cheer him on.
Police snipers return fire after shots were fired while Republican presidential candidate and former President Donald Trump spoke at a campaign rally
The gunman killed a rally attendee, identified as Corey Comperatore, and seriously wounded two people, including David Dutch, 57, a Navy veteran.
Though his assassination attempt failed, Crooks opened fire on Trump, only grazing his ear.
Crooks, who graduated from high school just two years ago, parked his car near the site of the protest in Butler on Saturday, climbed onto the roof of the glass building and took aim at the former president.
According to authorities, police sent bomb squad experts to the scene after receiving multiple reports of suspicious packages near where the gunman had parked his car.
It was revealed today that a remote detonator was found on the would-be killer’s body, next to his mobile phone, after he was shot dead.
A photo first published by WPXI of Pittsburgh showed a rectangular gray device with a keypad that resembled a television remote control, next to the shooter’s cellphone.
The station also published a photo of Crooks wearing a T-shirt from the popular YouTube channel Demolition Ranch, taken by a police officer minutes before the shooting.
Nicole Ford from Channel 11who obtained the exclusive photo, revealed that agents spotted Crooks outside the one-story AGR International building, from where he shot the ex-president.
The new development comes as Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle faces new questions after local law enforcement officials directly contradicted her claim that a Beaver County sniper team was stationed in the building from which Trump was shot.