understand what happened. one thing donald trump jr. did say to me, whit, we were on the phone is that his father made a remark it was a lot of blood but again, not something from my understanding of the conversation i had with the president's son, not something that was heightened along. if you we reported a statement from the trump campaign that he was quote fine, but i had the conversation with him that things seemed to be okay, remaining under observation. n never the les, the former president okay and in good spirits. >> we are just coming up at the top of the hour. it is 8:00 p.m. in the east. 5:00 p.m. in the west. if you're just joining us now as if campaign couldn't get more historic and unprecedented, what law enforcement officials are now investigating as a possible

assassination attempt of former president trump. this was a major campaign event donald trump was hosting before the republican national convention was set to take place in milwaukee this week. then you saw the former president ducking down, diving behind the podium and then secret service rushing towards the former president, jumping on him and forming sort of a human shield as other law enforcements jump on stage. you see them with tactical gear looking into the crowd. then these remarkable images comes in. the former with the with what

appears to be blood dripping from his right here being escorted off the stage. there's also a moment with the former president pumping his fist as the crowd started cheering when they saw he was okay. the president then escorted into th his motorcade. reports from the trump campaign and family telling us the former president is doing the d.a. in butler county there, pennsylvania, telling abc new that is the shooter is dead. also telling us that at least one bystander was killed and perhaps another. witnesses talking about blood in the stands behind former president and people being carried away. it's unclear exactly what happened. we're still waiting on multiple sources from law enforcement to tell us whether the threat is

over. that's unclear. but again, the source information that we're getting now is that law enforcement is treating this as a potential assassination attempt against the former president until they get information that it wasn't. back to rachel scott who's our senior congressional correspondent also has been covering the campaign for us. rachel was inside the arena during this event and while we were on the air for world news and it was minutes later when she heard those shots ring out. you've now been escorted outside. you've been with us the entire evening. what are sources telling you now? >> reporter: this is the scene that's happening right now. we are escorted outside of the trump rally. we are still not far from where those shots rang out inside. i want to show you right here. there's been so much conversation about the security. these white tents right here. this is where supporters were screened by secret service.

you go through metal detector, your bags are then searched. there are certain items like large bags that are prohibited then you are screened and go inside. off into the distance, this is this area that's an active crime scene. we were inside the moment this happened. we were on air with you live, whit, for world news tonight. then the former president took the stage. within several minutes, we heard these popping noises. one right after another. after another after another. and then there were those screams. we heard screams from the crowd. people yelling. people shouting to get down. people shouting gunfire, gunfire. cover. we along with other trump supporters then ducked for cover. we took off going below the riser. covered ourselves, our heads. we watched as trump supporters tilted out of their chair, covered themselves as well. shielded themselves. one supporter telling me all she

could do was pray. hoping that everything would be okay. those scream went on what felt like for several minutes. i know it was on lly a matter o seconds but just encapsulates the terror people were feeling about what was going on. initially, we did hear shot of gunfire and get down, but didn't know for sure. then within just a few moments after that, we saw that image and we were there the former president, he then rose up, we saw him put his fist in the air. the crowd cheered. they were relieved to see the former president was okay. he was then escorted into his vehicle and taken away. our eyes went to the bleachers. during these rallies, the former

president loves a crowd. he has supporters all around him. he wants things to feel as intimate as possible even though there are hundreds and hundred of people there. what we then noticed were secret service agents and law enforcement officials swarming what appeared to be one or two individuals. law enforcement firofficials we telling everyone to stay down. i noticed there was blood on the bleachers on that area. that was the moment where people started to clear out of that area. we saw law enforcement officials come out with crime tape. they started taping off the area. we continue to be live with you on the air. reporting what we saw and what we were learning in the moment then we saw trump supporters start to file out one by

this area started becoming a gathering place for a lot of trump supporters. a place they were calling their families, letting them know they were okay. and i want to bring in right now one person who was inside of this rally. sir. you were inside. where were you seated and what did you hear? >> we were seated right in the front there. little bit to the left. about six, seven rows back and we were just standing up listening to trump talk there. and we just heard like a bullet. you saw him swipe his ear there then the next thing you know, you heard other bullets. he fell. probably like three more shots then you just seen the crowd look over at the bleachers there, you know. then it just got crazy there. i mean, it was so scary, you

know. i felt for all the innocent bystanders. there were some people that got hurt and we're just praying for them, make sure they're all right and that you know, and pray for trump. >> reporter: what was your initial reaction? when you heard those popping sounds? we were inside as well. >> sounded like fire crackers. boom, boom, then there must have been a shooter on the outside of the perimeter and he must have been shooting inside and hit some innocent bystanders. there was a big crane there with speakers. and there was a line there. and the bullet got hit. line got hit. you can see all the fluid go out of the hydraulic line. >> reporter: we know there are

so many unconfirmed reports. law enforcement is still working. this is an active investigation. how are you feeling? standing here right now. this has been a very chaotic 24 hours. >> we're living in a scary time. this world, we definitely need more police to patrol everything. and hopefully we'll get that with trump coming in here. you know. everyone should get out there and vote for him. >> reporter: your reaction when you saw the former president after he was shielded by secret service agents. he raised his fists. i heard the crowd cheering. >> he was looking for his shooters. he was like, where my shooters? hopefully he'll be all right. he's strong. he'll come back and be ready for november. >> reporter: thank you so much for your time. i've been to almost every campaign ago receiving

treatment, but that he was doing fine. again, we emphasize no life threatening injury to the president. but again, as of a few minutes ago, the president was still at a medical facility receiving treatment. the fbi is also now going to engage in this investigation. every effort will be put on identifying understanding who the shooter was. uh- this attempted shooter was finding out more about that person's background to make sure that this is confined to a single individual. we just don't know yet. law enforcement again converging now trying to get additional information so that security can be surged for the upcoming conventions. also, we are getting information that law

enforcement will be briefed later in, in the evening about what took place here. but whit, again, you have a former president of the united states who is the leading candidate soon to be nominated by his his party as the their their candidate, someone attempting to apparently kill him. that is the feeling until they can prove that it's not the case. that is how law enforcement is operating in this moment. >> pierre thomas, for us, thank you so much. i do want to note we are awaiting word from president biden. there is a podium that has been set up there that is rehoboth beach, delaware. that's where president biden was spending the weekend. we're told that we're about two minutes out from the president speaking tonight. of course, he sent out that statement earlier and we know that the president has been briefed by his staff and by the secret service. we're also learning that there is heightened alert across the country. we're getting reportable information from our sources here in new york city saying that following this

possible assassination attempt, security is being increased across new york city. they say out of an abundance of caution, the nypd is increasing its presence across the city, including at trump tower, 40 wall street, foley square and city hall. no specific threat, though, in connection to new york at this time. here comes president biden. let's listen. >> all the agencies in the federal government has the situation based on what we know now. i have tried to get a hold of donald. he's with his doctors. they apparently he's doing well. i plan on talking to him shortly, i hope when i get back to the telephone. look, there's no place in america for this kind of violence. it's sic, it's sick. it's one of the reasons why we have to unite this country. we cannot allow for this to be happening. we cannot be like this. we cannot condone this. and so i want to thank the secret service and all the agencies, including the state agencies that have been engaged in making sure that the

people and we have more detail to come relative to other injured, other people may be injured in the audience. i don't have all that detail. we'll make that available to you. i may be able to come back a little later tonight, but we'll put out a statement if we don't. if i'm not able to give, if it's not convenient for you all. but the bottom line is that the trump rally was a rally that he should have been able to be conducted peacefully without any problem. but the idea, the idea that there's political violence or violence in america like this is just unheard of. it's just not appropriate. and we everybody, everybody must condemn it. everybody. i'll keep you informed. and if i am able to speak to the to donald, i'll let you know that as well. but so far it appears he's doing well, number one. number two, that there's thoroughly investigating what happened to anyone else in the audience i have. we have some reports, but not final reports. and every agency in the

federal government. and i'm going back to my phone to speak with the federal agencies that are being put together again to give me an updated briefing. as anything happened, they learned more in the last couple of hours. so thank you very much, and i hope i get to speak to him tonight and i'll get back to you if i do. okay. it was an assassination attempt. i don't know enough to i have an opinion, but i don't have any facts. so i want to make sure we have all the facts before i make some comment. any more comments? thank you. >> are you worried? >> what was the security failin, mr. president? >> president biden, with that short statement there again, he's in rehoboth, delaware for the weekend. but released a statement earlier tonight. but coming out before the cameras right now on the microphone, saying that there is no place in america for this kind of violence. it's sick. it's sick. and on that political violence, you said everyone must condemn it. president biden also said that he made a few attempts to try to reach former president donald trump, but was not able

to, but said that he would like to be able to speak with him at some point when he's able, but again, president biden reiterating what we've heard time and time again, the calls for calm, for people to condemn the violence, although we don't know much about what happened other than a few reports about a shooter who's been killed and a possible bystander and the shots fired. so again, all of this sort of playing out this evening in real time as we're getting information and these truly remarkable images that we saw on the screen as they played out. we were on world news tonight right here on abc as the trump rally in butler, pennsylvania, got underway. and it started in high spirits as many people were anticipating and awaiting his pick for a possible running mate that was expected in the next 48 hours. so all eyes were on this event to see if trump would hint to who that person might be. and it was a matter of minutes later when we heard those popping sounds and we went back to rachel scott, who told us what

happened as it occurred. you see, the secret service there surrounding the former president forming a human shield around him, them escorting him off the stage. and as the crowd started to realize that trump was okay, there were cheers, and he pumped his fist in response before he was led away again, we're told that he was taken to a nearby medical center, that he received treatment, but that he is doing okay, that he is fine. his family and a statement calling it a heinous act. what is played out. but the details are still far and few. we only know the very little that we've been able to get from witnesses and from the secret service. we've got our entire team on this. jon karl, our chief washington correspondent, is in milwaukee because that was supposed to be the scene of the week's major news in the republican national convention. and instead, john, everything is about to change after this incident. >> this thing has sent shockwaves, shockwaves throughout the political world. i was on the floor of the convention speaking with the

republican party chairman, michael whatley, when this news broke, saw him whisked away by an aide on the phone trying to figure out what was happening. and obviously shock waves, not just here in milwaukee, where the political world, at least the republican part of the political world is gathering for this convention that is set to kick off officially at 2:00 on on monday. but also over on the democratic side, we are told wit that the biden campaign has paused all outbound communications, and they're working to pull down all of their political ads, effectively putting this intensely fought heavily funded, very negative presidential campaign, at least for the moment. on hold in the wake of this incident. and you heard, you know, president biden condemn what happened. i thought it was interesting to hear him refer a couple of times to president trump, somebody he has

clashed with as mightily as any two political figures in our history, have clashed, calling him donald and saying he tried to get a hold of donald and he hopes to hopes to speak to him in saying that we all have to condemn what happens, and that is what is happening, what we are seeing. statements from political leaders across the political spectrum, not just condemning what is an apparent or being investigated as an apparent political assassination attempt, but calling for calm and saying that political violence of any kind, certainly not like this, has no place in american politics. one of those briefed on this and putting out a statement is the speaker of the house. third in line of presidential succession, mike johnson, who says he's been briefed by law enforcement and says this horrific act of political violence at a political campaign rally has no place in this country and should be unanimously and forcefully

condemned. and that is exactly what is happening. we're hearing from former president obama, former president clinton. obviously, you just heard from president biden and i think quite movingly from a former congresswoman named gabby giffords, who herself was severely wounded in political violence at a campaign event of hers in arizona. gabby giffords putting out a statement saying political violence is terrifying. i know i'm holding former president trump and all those affected by today's indefensible act of violence in my heart, political violence is un-american and never acceptabl, never a view that is being uniformly expressed across the political spectrum and obviously beyond the political world with and obviously, john, something we also heard from the witnesses who were there tonight and witness this chaos and the bloodshed, asking, asking for

prayers not only for former president trump, but for the bystanders, or at least one who may have been killed in this incident. >> john. thank you. stand by. we'll come back to you as the developments persist throughout the night. but i want to go back to mary bruce at the white house. mary, just getting some more information before i come to you, because we're also told now that fbi personnel are on the scene in butler, pennsylvania, the fbi will work jointly with the us secret service as the investigation moves forward. and, mary, i just wanted to pick up with you on something that that john noted, too, about biden reaching out, trying to speak with former president donald trump. these are two men who do not speak to each other. i mean, they hardly even acknowledge each other. and that debate a couple of weeks ago. so the president trying to reach out the former president trying to trying to at least, you know, give as much of a perception of unity in this moment of tragedy in america. >> yeah. and you heard what the president there essentially arguing that now is not a time for politics, that this is a moment where the country has to

unite. you heard the president saying there is no place in america for this type of violence. and as john noted, yes, it is, certainly unusual to hear president biden refer to donald trump by his first name. and yes, we know that he tried to reach out to him. we don't know why he wasn't able to get ahold of him, but the president says he's going to continue to try and this you can't understate how much it has completely and totally upended this campaign, this race, this moment that we are in in america. we were just days away from the republican national convention. we have seen, of course, a ratcheting up of divisive rhetoric in this country. we were at a point where you were hearing, you know, as joe biden has been facing a lot of, you know, doubts from those within his party about the future of his own candidacy in this race. he has been urged by others to take the fight to donald trump more forcefully, to outline more forcefully the case in this race. all of that now coming to a halt, the campaign announcing that they are trying to pull

down, they are going to be pulling down their ads off of the airwaves, that this is a moment where instead of ramping up, you are having the campaigns hit the pause button completely. now, what will that mean? how will that change this race? will it change the way the two parties talk about each other going forward? will it actually bring the country together? all huge questions and things that remain to be seen in the coming days. and just one more thing, which i do think it was interesting. the president there was asked if he thought this was an assassination attempt. he said, i have an opinion, but i don't have any facts. echoing what i think many americans are thinking right now. >> absolutely. mary bruce, thank you so much. i do want to bring in district attorney richard goldinger from butler county, pennsylvania, richard, thank you so much for your time. we appreciate it. we've been we've been reporting this information that you gave to some of our team here at abc news about the shooter being dead and at least one bystander, possibly a second. also killed. what more can you tell us about this

incident? >> well, i'm sorry to be talking to you under these circumstances, but, yeah, i can confirm that the shooter is dead, and we have one spectator who did pass away, as a result of this incident, the second individual that was removed from the scene, is in what i would say, serious condition. i don't know their condition at this point, but we do have at least two spectators that, sustained injuries or, you know, obviously the first one passed away, from from the shooter. >> and forgive me just to confirm. so the shooter is dead. you noted that, but earlier we reported possibly two spectators were killed. so now you're saying. just to clarify, one was shot and killed, another one sustained serious injuries. their condition at this point unknown. >> that is. that is correct. yes. >> do we know anything about

this shooter, >> at this point? no. >> is it a man? >> i mean, about? i don't even know if it's male or female, to be honest with you. so >> okay, so we don't know if it was male or female. was was the shooter, is it believed that the shooter was actually in the venue or fired the shots from outside, >> i can't confirm the shooter was not within the venue. the shooter was on a the roof of a building that was adjacent to the venue. and, so they would not have had to go through the security process of entering the, the rally. and, you know, be subject to the search and everything, >> forgive me, i was just getting some information in my ear as you were speaking. so. so the shooter, not in the venue on the roof adjacent to the venue, so is it believed then that some of these other shots that we heard witnesses describe that that was law enforcement returning fire? was it law

enforcement who took the shooter out that i can't confirm? that's a that's a yes. >> no, i can't confirm that. okay. >> so it's okay. it's not clear how the shooter died. >> correct. at this point, we don't know i don't know. how about that i don't know at this point. >> fair enough. i understand and forgive me. i know it's a fluid situation and information is coming in piece by piece. >> extremely. >> yes. you know, richard, just just your take in general, this is this is obviously a tragic moment in this country. i mean, not only do we have this act of political violence, we have we have bystanders, people out there just exercising their right to support a candidate, potentially shot and killed, what are you feeling at this time? >> well, i mean, it's terrible, i mean, first of all, i'm embarrassed for my community that this happened here, i'm. i am disgusted and, sad that somebody actually lost their

life as a result of this. and, you know, i mean, unfortunately, it appears to be just almost i don't want to say a microcosm, but the state of our, our country where we are right now and how divided we are, and somebody would resort to something like this to, well, i don't know the motives, but potentially affect a presidential election. and it's just it's really sad. i mean, we need to i agree with president biden. we need to we need to come together. we need to unite because of this. and i hope that maybe, you know, something bad like this happening. good. can come of it after the fact. >> yes. let's all hope that that could be the case. and perhaps this country could have a moment of unity and what has been a very divisive time, and only getting painful by the minute

here, as we get more details about what happened, i do want to ask you about the bystanders. do we know any information about them where they were seated during this event? >> i don't have that information at this point, i'm going to guess that they were probably seated behind president trump. you know, based on the whole thing. but i don't know, i shouldn't even speculate. >> understood. again, richard goldinger, we truly appreciate you taking the time this evening, and we're wishing the very best our hearts go out to you and your entire community as you try to build back from this tragedy. thank you again. i want to go to let's go back to martha raddatz in washington. martha, i know that you've been talking to not only law enforcement sources, political sources, but also folks in the military who were describing what they heard with those gunshots. we got some more information from the district attorney there, the

suspect who was shot and killed. and we're not sure how we're careful to, you know, to point that out, was on a rooftop adjacent to the venue, what does that tell you, and what's the reaction you're getting from your sources? >> well, it certainly was a ways away from president trump. and that in in the beginning, when i started talking to people who are familiar with weapons and who heard that gunfire on the tape said they were certain it was probably a ways away from the actual venue outside the security zone. and it sounds like that that has proven to be true. there were several shots you could hear, and they were very distinct, at least 2 or 3, possibly more shots. and we don't know yet whether we were hearing not just the shooter, but those who then took out the shooter. but when i look at this video and we've all looked at it over and over and you see president trump get up and put that fist in the air, we've now