'A very sad and terrifying day': Shock and resolve in Butler after Trump rally shooting

'Who would ever think it would ever happen here?' resident of Pennsylvania town says after assassination attempt

After the attempted assassination of Donald Trump, many residents in the town where the attack unfolded emerged on Sunday with a sense of shock and deepened resolve to support the former president as he runs for re-election.

The shooting took place on Saturday afternoon as Trump was holding a rally at the fairgrounds in Butler, Pennsylvania, a strongly Republican city about 50km north of Pittsburgh.

“Yesterday was terrifying and chaotic,” said witness Ron Jurysta Jr, who arrived at the rally at 6.30am to ensure good seats for himself, his wife, son and daughter-in-law.

“We got seats right next to the president where he came out and the shots were fired over our heads actually. Unfortunately, the persons behind us were hit and tragically lost their lives,” Mr Jurysta, an oil and gas worker, told The National.

“I'm shocked, like how there could be hate for one man or one party to cause somebody to want to do that? I just don't understand it,” he added as he described fear for his family's safety and a “very sad and terrifying day”.

Authorities shot and killed the gunman, 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks, after he fired several times at Trump, with one of the bullets grazing his right ear. One audience member was killed and two others were seriously injured in the attack.

My Jurysta, who is familiar with firearms, said he immediately recognised the sound of gunfire and saw small puffs of dust kicking up from the stage as bullets struck.

Zach Scherer, a 21-year-old supporter of the former president, said the experience was “terrifying”.

“We climbed under the chairs and just hugged each other,” Mr Scherer told The National.

The young Republican, who ran unsuccessfully for county commissioner, said after Saturday’s shooting, he is worried for the future of the country.

“Scared, terrified. No matter what side of the stage or aisle you’re on, this should not happen to anybody. People should be scared – like what is coming next?”

Gretchan Hoffman and her husband drove from Buffalo, New York, to Butler to attend a country music concert and decided to head the Trump rally, as the two are devoted fans of the former president.

“It was my first rally ever,” Ms Hoffman said. “We got really close, probably 70 feet away, we could see him from the stage and within maybe seven minutes of him talking, there were snipers on the roof.”

Local resident Raymond, 80, who declined to give his last name, said the shooting was a “shock”.

“Who would ever think it would ever happen here?” he said as he went for a morning walk close to the rally site, which police had closed off as a crime scene.

He said the shooting hearkened back to a period in US history of frequent political assassinations, including the killing of John F Kennedy in 1963 and his brother Robert F Kennedy in 1968.

“It was terrible,” he said. “I mean, you kind of feel like it put us back in a different era.”

Nearly twice as many residents of Butler voted Republican in 2020 as they did Democrat. Like many residents here, Raymond said he supports Trump “all the way” and the attack has galvanised support among many voters.

One man yelled “Trump 2024" as he drove past a group of journalists outside the fairgrounds on Sunday morning, where a large American flag was suspended between two cranes.

Access to the rally grounds remained blocked by police as investigators continued to comb the area. The building from which Crooks fired at Trump was also closed off.

Law enforcement agencies are under heavy criticism for apparent security failures that allowed a gunman to climb on to a rooftop close to the rally.

Willy Lowry reported from Butler, Pennsylvania

Trump rally shooting – in pictures