you for staying with us. more news next. news next. news. former president donald trump apparently injured and rushed off the stage minutes into his rally in butler, pennsylvania. we now have a statement from his campaign. they say he is doing fine and is being checked out at a local medical facility. you can hear from the crowd what a terrifying moment it was. let's take a look at the scene as it played out moments ago. >> if you really want to see something, take a look at what happened. pop pop. country get down! get down! . [screaming] .

on you. ready, move.. >> moved to the stairs. shooters down. >> are we good to move? >> let me get my shoes.

>> [chanting] >> the former president had blood on the side of his head and ear for being rushed off the stage by secret service. again, his team says he is fine. you can see he raised his fist in the air several times as the

secret service was moving him off at the stage. before all this happened, what you're watching right now, reporters on the ground said the sound of popping noises were heard just moments before trump went to the ground and we don't know what the incident was. we don't know if it was gunfire. we do not know the source of mr. trump's injury. president bidens communication director stephen chung issued a statement it says, president trump thanks a law enforcement and first responders or the quick action during this heinous act. he is fine at being checked out at a local medical facility. more details will follow. with me now, nbcnews campaign jake trailer, he was in the crowd in butler, pennsylvania. tell us what you heard and what you saw. >> that is exactly right. it was quite the harrowing scene that we saw took lace. to set the scene from our perspective, our purview, we were in the press pen, as we normally are, sort of the

center of the crowd at a typical trump rally. we were a few minutes into the speech, not much had been set yet. the former president was doing what he typically does at the beginning, giving a few pleasantries and talking to the crowd. there were then, as you described, these hops that we seem to hear. if it was fireworks are gunfire, we are unsure what it was. i did with my own eyes see the top left side some of the stance and what like quick pops of smoke when the fire took place. i was at the front of the press pen so i could see the stage and the side where a lot of folks receded as well. that is where the smoke came up. of course, it was a very quick scene that took place there was a lot of harrowing screams and shouts from the crowd and obvious the a very scary, scary moment. we are not quite sure what it was. the former president was on the ground. it is unclear if he was hit him

if it was a protective measure, he was on the ground. within a matter of a few seconds, a former secret service agent were on the stage, they were on top of him and fully covering him and shouting orders as those screams from the crowd, a lot of it just being uncertainty and fear continued. very quickly, after, i would say about 10-15 seconds the former president was standing up again. that is when i was able to, again, with my own eyes, as shots continued, i clearly saw what looked to be blood on the ear of the former president. he did not seem to notice it, he did not look like he was in pain and that moment, giving that fist that he continued to give a handful of times as he was quickly escorted off of the stage. again, shots continued for a while just from the crowd as they continued to have uncertainty. the former president was then escorted off the stage and we quickly saw him go into that motorcade and from that point forward we do not quite know where.

we did get that statement from the trump campaign as well. after that, i want to know we were all in the press pen, of course going live and describing what was happening. we were there for probably 10- 15 minutes after it happened and we were told it was a active crime scene and all of the press, all of those in attendance were quickly evacuated. it was a few moments where there was a lot of uncertainty and there was not necessarily an escorting of everyone out, it was not declared an official crime scene yet. there were moments that were quite harrowing because we were not sure what had happened. the former president quickly exited and a lot of us left for a while. and they declared it an official crime scene, they exited the crowd and the press. we are now standing in the parking lot. this is all in butler, pennsylvania where this is taking place. we are standing in the parking lot, there are plenty of law enforcement on the same. there are a lot of cars, that you can see behind me, who are trying to exit the facility. everyone here now is safe. i do want to again, read the trump campaign statement, that

we had from the trump spokesperson that says, president trump thanks a lot enforcement and first responders during the heinous act. he is fine and being checked at a local facility. more details will follow. that is what we have right now, that is the same what i witnessed with my own eyes standing here the parking lot in butler, pennsylvania. crowds of people are being escorted out. there are a ton of trump supporters starting pray for president trump, pray for president trump. there are a lot of questions from people as we are to figure out more of what is happening. there was besides that one statement that we had from the trump campaign, we have not had any more updates. as we continue to get them, we will continue to update. that is what i was able to see on the ground, it was quite the harrowing event. as of now, we are in the parking lot and we are safe and we will continue to report on this as we get more. >> it is good to know that everyone continues to be safe including the former president. keep us updated if you have the opportunity to get affirmation

or observation from other people who were in the crowd today. we have statements coming in, you heard jake say there are a number of people that he has spoken to the say they are praying for former president trump. there are statements from the democratic leaders in both houses. chuck schumer, the senate majority leader says, i am horrified by what happened at the trump rally in pennsylvania and relieved that former president trump is safe. political violence has no place in our country. from hakeem jeffries, thoughts and prayers are with former president trump and i am thankful for the decisive law enforcement response. america is a democracy and political violence of any kind is never acceptable. and the governor of pennsylvania , again, all of this unfolding in butler pennsylvania. josh shapiro wrote, violence targeted at any political party or political leader is absolutely unacceptable. and has no place in pennsylvania or the united states.

i have been briefed on the situation. state police are on the scene in butler county and working with our federal and local law enforcement. joining me now to continue this live coverage, msnbc national security analyst clint watts is also a former fbi special agent. just watching what happened and how it unfolded, what are your observations and what do you expect is happening right now? we know the area has been locked down as a crime scene. >> a couple of things. one, you notice the crowd all hands, they turn to the right and that's where you see former president trump grab his ear and also look that way. the other thing is, the gunshots that you hear, what we think are gunshots, there are a variety of types and it is difficult to make much from that. one thing you hear in that audio is they said shooter down . one of the textbook things that you see and the secret service did a remarkable job, you can tell how they responded is exactly how they train. they did not move the former

president until it seemed like they thought the situation was under control. they must have had some sort of medication going on before they picked up to move. they also did that very very quickly. thankfully, former president trump looks to be, likely injured, but in very good shape considering the circumstances. the thing that will call into question is what the security situation was at this. one of the things that everyone will be asking and i would definitely like to know, what kind of magnetometers or other security processes were used for people who went to this event? and was this person, whoever the shooter might have been, whatever the device was, were they outside of the perimeter? how did they make their way into it if they did ask that will be one of the key questions. as you noted, as an active crime scene, they are trying to figure all of those dimensions out and trying to go through every piece of camera and tv footage as possible trying to narrow down everything that happened in the last few

minutes. >> i am sure you heard the statement from josh shapiro saying, not only our state police on the scene, they are working with federal and local law enforcement. who will be involved in this and who takes the lead in a case like this? >> the secret service, i would imagine, would take the immediately in the investigation because their mandate is to protect the president and everything around him. the fbi would be the natural point of contact for also writing any additional leads and state and local law enforcement, which were probably on the scene assisting in terms of building that and keeping everything safe. in any of these incidents, you just do not know, just like all of the active shooter cases that we talk about on air, you do not know if it was one shooter, alterable shooters, or their accomplices or other things going, were there plans to do more extended attack? they are going to be really standing out around this location trying to figure out every dimension of it. and also collect evidence. one thing, they will interview any witnesses who saw a person

that was shooting whatever weapon it was and trying to understand how this unfolded, if there were any associates or anyone else that were traveling with them, and were there any indications over time of what the plot was and why this person did it. >> i also want to bring in christopher o'leary, former fbi agent. is for, what are your observations as you watch the scene unfold as we have been playing this video over again? >> i think clint hit on it. there is speculation on if it was gunfire or not. in my experience, that sounds a lot like it and it sounds like it could have been multiple calibers and with the addition of the call that the shooter was down, that indicates secret service likely immediately responded to whatever happened. that is what they are trained to do. they are the best in the world at protection. i would venture to say that there procedure in this rally are the same that they are in

every other event that they do. everybody would have been screened coming in. the president was likely put behind the podium because it is a ballistic podium and they would pause him there until they had the situation under control and immediately evacuate him. the hospital had to be precleared. so they had a route that was already run to the hospital and they know they had a trauma surgeon there if needed and secret service agent standing by at the hospital to immediately address the situation. with regards to the investigation, first and foremost, the secret service has the lead in this unless or until we find out that there is a motivation of political violence or terrorism. if this is a mentally ill individual, like the attack on president reagan, it will stay absolutely in the secret service laying. if it turns out to be somebody who is involved in terrorism or political violence by then it was certainly bring all of the resources of the fbi in and the fbi will take more of a leading

role. >> if you can stay with us as well, christopher, i want to bring in nbcnews campaign in bed back from pennsylvania. jake, clint brought up an observation and want to ask you what your was spread what did security look like for folks who are attending the rally? >> that is a great question. things appeared very normal at this rally from the start. >> the way things that were, at a typical trump rally, especially because he is in fact a former president there is a ton of secret service, it is a very lengthy process. the preset for media happened early this morning. then a little bit later there was the normal sweeps where the entire arena. all of the press equipment, all of the cameras,

all of the seats, all of the field is checked and swept normal by the secret service. i have zero indication of that being not normal this time around as far as my conversation with the trump campaign during and throughout the day those who are involved with the press advance and taking care of those things. everything appeared to be normal, we are not given any thing that this was a different event. another thing, many of trump's rallies take place outdoors like this. it is often outdoors, this is butler farms here in pennsylvania. there have been other places in farmland like this, open pastors an open area. there is also very clearly and evidently secret service all around on certain elevated spaces, often in the press pen, surrounded the stage at different areas. that seemed to be normal. back to the timeline. after the secret service fully swept the location, residents, attendees and some supporters

were able to enter for the first time into this rally. it takes a very long time. they were going through mag security they were getting waved down, there is secret service, police officers, many on hands and no indication that was any different. of course -- yes? >> i want to join lester holt for a special report that is in progress. we have new information. let's join in. join in. and jonathan dietz. two former law enforcement officials tell nbc news there is a growing concern this was a serious -- may have been a serious attempt on the life of >> we are having some audio problems. clint, i'm going to come back to you. the reporting we are getting from tom winter, who is incredibly deeply sourced in the intelligence community is that there is growing concern in law enforcement circles that this may, i want to emphasize the word may, have been a serious attempt on the life of

former president donald j trump. that is according to two senior u.s. law enforcement officials. with they have approached it that way from the beginning anyway? does that change the calculus? what would lead them to believe that x help us out as someone who has been on the inside of a very high level incidents, clint . >> i think it is too early to tell. they would approach it as the most severe situation, just because there is very little to no or very little to go off of. the other thing, you cannot tell much from the audio in terms of the weapons and shots. whatever it was that was used, it is very difficult to know what that was that was being fired at president trump. second part is, is it connected to anything larger? that would be a much more serious investigation. as noted earlier during the interview, if, for some reason,

it is connected to an organization or a group of political violence, that would take it to a different level. >> let's go back to the special report that tom winter is addressing information given from the intel community. >> what you are seeing is in fact a crime scene. the secret service is likely to leave lead that investigation. tom, we have talked about this and seen examples of political violence. this is something that law enforcement has been bracing itself for in this campaign season, is it not? >> without a doubt. i have lost track the amount of times you and i have talked about it privately. we have reported on it. the fbi director in an interview with you directly said that he was concerned about this type of thing. i think everyone has been concerned about the potential issues, the potential things that could come up during the course of the selection, given

how divided the country is, even the level of threats that is something that people are acutely focused on. >> tom, thank you very much. i will let you get back to reporting and working on more details as this story develops. let's bring in abby pumpers, a former secret service agent joining me on the telephone. can you give me a sense on what you have seen, give us your professional i/o what appeared to transpire. >> what we are seeing is him attending a rally and then we hear the shots and we hear these popping sounds. we have multiple shots, we see him put his hand to his ear and then we see the agents come in. the agents that come in is the detail team. for them to come in like that, that means this is a serious threat. something serious happened. we also sing the tactical team. we are looking at the live shot at the tactical team.

when you see the tactical team, their job is to look for the threat. you have two entities, agents in suits they come in and immediately on top of the president and they are there to surround him and make sure that the shots hit them. the tactical element that we see come in after, their job is to move out and you can see the spacing out toward the crowd and they are to look for the threat. clearly, you can see the agents get around him and they shield him and they move in this unit to shield him body wise so nothing strikes him. they move him slowly down the stairs and make their way to the armored vehicle. that is what we are looking at. if we are looking at how this happened, again, this is all alleged, nothing has been confirmed. if we are looking at what is going on here how did such a thing happened? when you have rallies like this , ideally you're supposed to have magnetometers, that is the first thing they will look at,

where are the magnetometers, how did a weapon get it? sometimes when it is a former president, you may not have all of the elements that a sitting president would have, all of the tactical capability. it is going to be looking at the magnetometers and were people checked for weapons. from that point, where was that person position. how are they able to get in and get that angle of the shot. >> as we look at these pictures as you described the former president being rushed into that vehicle to be taken away from the scene. i keep thinking about what is happening in the crowd. unfortunately the cameras are not pointing to the crowd given the number of hops or potential shots, it seems a lot of people were at risk. you have covered these events, as have i, a lot of people wanted to get close to their candidate, that is part of what happens in a campaign. how does the secret service draw the balance as to create a

fortress of security at the same time allowing people to do what people should be doing at rallies like this? >> let's go to your first point where there is people there. when you do these events, i have done these events, it is called a site event, when you secure it if it you are the site agent. you have two missions, protect the president of the united states. however, the other mission is the people at the event. yes, they are targeted, let's assume, we do not have confirmation, when someone is targeting the president, if they are going to shoot, yes, he is the issue but the people in the area are the issue. when we hear these sounds, these small echoes of what appeared to be shots, there were multiple shots at every round has to go somewhere and landed somewhere. where they going? you have all of these people. you are responsible, not just for the safety of the u.s.

president, you are responsible for the people there. the president is a target. wherever he moves the danger goes with him just because of what he attracts as a sitting u.s. president, or a former president, or a candidate. when you put them in a place like this, you have to think strategically, what about all of the people there. you can see the barricades that are set up you can see the stage set up, what you may not see in that shot, you will have ingress and egress elements, you want multiple ways in and multiple ways out. you want movement for the president, you also want to create alternate movement for him if he cannot get out the primary way. you typically have two ways in and two ways out those vehicles are positioned there specifically to event camp, to evacuate him. you are in an open area here. you do not have that concealment to cover.

whatever you do an open area like this, massive line of sight issues. you can get a threat from so many different ways, so many different areas. physically after an event like this, it is typically the fbi that comes into the investigation of what happened. the secret service element is the element that is the protection and the fbi is typically who will come in and investigate what and how this happened. >> let me ask you this in terms of what kind of intelligence law enforcement has or is given before an event, we are in prime time campaign season. these candidates are out there doing multiple stops in a day, big crowds lined up, how much does local law enforcement know about potential threats? maybe someone in the crowd has written a nasty email or letter, that sort of thing. >> when you go out, as part of the advance team, when you go

out, you work with the local police department. here he is going to his location, he is going to a town or city, wherever he is going, you work from the beginning. you have many meetings with the local police department, the president, the former president is coming in, he is going to do a rally and we share intel. the secret service shares intel, this is what we hear from our side. the local police department, because they know what is going on in their community, they will also have their ears to the ground. they will have intelligence and information. we have these meetings, secret service will have these meetings before an event where everybody comes together and everybody shares. i am hearing this, you are hearing this, what do we need to do? what elements do we need to put in place? if you're hearing a lot of protesters, you are hearing talk that people will show up and cause problems, that is all communicated so you can figure out what you need.

also, you can figure out what you need to put into the crowd to blend in. you are seeing the secret service suits, you will see the tactical team, you will see uniform police department but they have a element there that is unseen. we do not cover call it undercover but they are agents and law enforcement that circulate in the area in plain clothes and they hear what's going on. >> evy, you have been a tremendous help for helping us understand the mechanics of security in a situation like this. hopefully we can rely on you later. thank you so much. we continue to take a look at the shocking video from pennsylvania where earlier this evening, early evening here on the east coast, someone, apparently took shots at the former president, former president trump, as we heard two senior law-enforcement officials saying there is a growing concern that there may have been a serious attempt on the life of former president trump. apparently, his wounds

are survivable and he is apparently doing okay. we saw him clutching his ear, a bloodied ear as he was led from the same. people heard multiple pops in the crowd. we are continuing to track information about any potential other victims, people who might have been in the crowd. this is a rally, pretty much like so many we have seen throughout this election season. people joyous, people excited about seeing the candidate and hearing what he had to say, no one signed up for this, however. >> i want to go to dasha burns outside the trump rally north of pittsburgh. you were there as the crowds were trying to get out. as you watch the video, your eyes are focused on former president trump and his reaction, you also see people in the crowd who seem unaware and do not quite realize what is happening. i suppose that is not unusual.

as you are able to exit the grounds, were people beginning to fill in the blanks on what they saw and heard? >> reporter: absolutely. there was a lot of confusion initially. you do not expect something like this to happen going in, there is so much security protocol when you come to a trump rally. as we were hearing the sounds, so many people that i talked to, myself included, our team here thought it might have been fireworks, we were not sure what was going on. now as everyone has taken a bit of a breath and is trying to absorb what happened, we understand that is not necessarily the case. we are coming to you live right now from the parking lot for this venue. trump rallies attract thousands and thousands of supporters, or thousands of cars are here. lester, we are far running into people who evacuated the rally and they are looking for their vehicles and trying to process what happened. that's how i ran into >> aaron:. >> aaron: was in the front row.

erin, for small how are you? >> i am okay. i was in the front row and i was looking him in the eye. we heard the pops maybe three, four minutes into the rally. i heard four. four secret service immediately jumped on the stage. we saw them push president trump to the ground. then the gentleman had the guns came up and said clear right, clear left and they said lift them up. they lifted him up and trump said i have to get my shoes on first. >> that his shoes come off? >> they must have. we could not see it. they must have when they dropped into the grant. that the first thing he said, i have to get my shoes on first. when he stood up i'm looking forward and i see the red teardrop of blood, fresh red blood just a little tear. when they got him up and toured him i could see the blood from

the top of the year to the bottom. it was not gushing, but it was covered. then he put the fist bump up, stay strong and they walked him off. >> erin, what was going through your mind ? what did you think when you heard the sounds? >> i thought it was fireworks, it was top, pop, pop that's what it sounded like. the gentleman to the right of me could see the sharpshooter behind trump. he said the sharpshooter shot to the left he killed the gentleman in the water tower here. when i called my husband who was at home watching tv he said i thought trump hurt his ear when he went to the grant. he said no, before trump hit the ground the ear was bleeding. so, that sharpshooter went across, trump turned his head and his ear must've been nipped and it killed someone in the stands to the left. >> could you see anyone injured besides the blood on the former president? >> all i saw was a gentleman

from beaver county who spoke earlier in the day who is running for house representative. he had a white shirt on and i saw him come from the left stands were the people were mostly shot, i think there were several, three medevac's left. blood was down the right side, he was not shot, he was next to someone who must've been bleeding profusely because either help to them, rubbed against them or try to get them help or something. it was covered. i knew he was near somebody. that was my first indication that someone was actually shot when i saw blood on his shirt. >> when did you realize this might not be fireworks and it might be something else? >> when they got trump on the ground. we were so concerned that he was not hit it happened so fast. it is hard to process. i guess, if you have the camera to see the exact minute you can tell. when he got up, he did not look bad at all, he didn't. he looked strong. when i saw that blood i thought he must've hurt himself, hopefully. it does appear that he was probably nicked by the bullet.

he turned his head just in the nick of time. >> erin, you were so near to all of this yourself , your right to there. how did you feel about your own safety x were you scared? >> i was totally not scared for my own >> announcer: none of us in the front row went down to the ground, not a one. we wanted to help the president. that's all we wanted to do, either we could protect him we could stand around him. i did not see one person in our row hit the ground. not one. it was shocking. no was concerned about us, we were only concerned about him. >> you are somewhere safe, you're out of there and as you are starting to process this, i know we will all process this over the coming days and weeks, how do you feel? >> i hear now they feel there were two sections on both sides, they got the one on the tower the site and the one on the right they never got, that's why they wanted us to leave immediately because they

thought there was still a shooter out there. there could be in the woods around butler. >> erin, i have covered many trump rallies i don't know how many you have been to nestli >> my six. i was here in the parking lot at 20 to 7:00. i have been here all day. >> the atmosphere coming into the trump rally, support supporters very jovial, people selling merchandise and food, what were you coming in with today and what are you leaving with tonight? >> i was here four years ago when he was in butler and there were 58,000 people. i tell people it was the most magical night of my life, he came in the helicopter and circled four times. it was an unbelievable night. i was anticipating to have another unbelievable night, not this way. it is just very sad. all of these people that came to see him and to have him hurt, i

cannot even explain. i feel sad for our country, i feel sad for everybody. you don't like the guy, don't for him. don't kill him. we love the guy. what is up with this violence? it is just terrible. i am glad that god is no longer with us in that tower. i hope they get the other one too. they don't nicked him, i hope they get him. >> erin, thank you so much but i'm so glad you're safe. i know it is a lot to process for you thank you for your time. thank you. >> nobody knew the shoes must have fallen off. >> that is a new detail. this is an eyewitness account. this is what erin witness from her vantage point. we will wait for law

enforcement to give us details. again , this is a developing situation. right now, erin and so many others trying to make their way home as there are thousands of people who were in this parking lot, quite a bit of a traffic jam at this point as people are trying to make their way out. of course, lester, it makes sense what it is what they just witnessed. >> dosser, thank you for your great reporting as we get these counts. it bears reiterating, there are things we are hearing and learning. we will tell them to you when we can confirm it. augustine the witness has been describing potential he other victims and we continue to work that angle very aggressively. as we know more we will tell you more. hopefully we will be able to learn about who was behind this attack. as soon as we can tell you something we will verify and go right to that. our senior white house correspondent, kelly o'donnell joins us now. talk to me about the reaction

from the biden administration. java sea there watching with great concern. >> there are important steps that the administration takes at this point. the current president has been briefed by the director of the secret service and of course her agents were with former president trump and are getting direct information from the scene to the president. in addition, the president has been talking to his secretary of homeland security, and his homeland security advisor inside the white house come a that of course is alejandro mayorkas, secretary at the cabinet level and randall who advises the president on potential home and threats inside the united states. in this moment it is not candidate and candidate, it is the sitting president having to deal with the law enforcement piece, national security implications and sort of the mindset of the nation when an event like this happens. the president is getting those threads of information coming into him. he is in delaware right now. the vice president has also received an initial briefing.

certainly, we are also hearing from others who have had their own experience, and still do with the secret service, former president george w. bush put out a statement saying he and laura bush are grateful to the secret service that they were able to get former president trump to safety and they are concerned about what this incident was about and they thanked first responders for the swift action. all of the apparatus of the federal government shifts to deal with something like this. the secret service is involved in the investigation, they are also involved in the day-to-day protection of the former president. i have been told, based on my reporting, the level of protection that he would receive as a former president, which has been his existence the last 3.5 years, heading into the convention in milwaukee, he would be getting a larger detail as the presumptive candidate going forward. expecting already plans in the works for him to have a more robust set of agents and procedures around him. there are also waiting to

envelop the new running mate to be named at some point and that person would also have secret service protection when former president trump announces his pick. what happened today, rattles the very core of the secret service. they train for this. they deal with this potential threat at every event all the time. here at the white house where i am right now, no visible sign of any enhanced security, they are focused on, certainly the events surrounding the former president at that location, it will also include state and local authorities who will be on the ground participating in the investigation, which would typically be led by the fbi. as far as any contact from the president, he has a team of senior advisors around him who are able to give him direct information from the secret service, as well as, the department of justice, law enforcement and homeland security advisors both at the cabinet level and inside the white house who may have more

of a picture about potential threats or concerns that our colleague tom went to was talking about. that is where we are at this point from the white house. >> kelly o'donnell, thank you very much. again, we saw the former president leaving and getting in the car pretty much under his own power, certainly escorted to safety. he looks like he will be okay and once again flashing that triumphant fist that is characteristic of many of his campaigns. for those who tuning in, we want to play few the moment when secret service agents rushed former president trump off the stage. we want to caution you, we do not know exactly who said what or why they set it because it was a chaotic moment. here it is. >> shooter's down . >> let's move. >> where clear.

>> again, that moment of chaos, you heard the screams in the crowd as people were beginning to learn something was amiss. our investigative correspondent, tom winter is with us on the phone and he continues to get reaction and national security details. what can you tell us? >> i am on the phone with you and one of my colleagues is on the phone with the local district attorney who tells us that the alleged shooter, the person they believe who was responsible for this event is in fact deceased. the local district attorney in the area where the trump rally is, is telling one of our colleagues right now that in fact, the alleged shooter, the person they believed is responsible for this is deceased. we do not have the name of the individual. we do not know the background or where they may have come from, any sort of personal motivation, that information we are trying to gather. that is the headlines read the second component is three senior u.s. law-enforcement officials tell myself and my

colleague there appears to be several other individuals who were shot in the crowd. those are not individual suspected to be involved in this. these are either rally goers or bystanders, they are looking into at least two other individuals who were shot as well. that is the latest update that would seem to indicate to us a couple of things. one, they believe they know who did this. they believe they know where they were and potentially what they were using and they can now start to do detail investigative work. we don't know, although there is no indication at this time, that any other individual was involved. obviously, it is very early and very preliminary on that front and a lot more work will presumably need to be done. >> let me follow up, you just answer the question but we heard from one witness earlier who seemed to believe there were two individuals involved.

you are saying the local da is saying one shooter is the deceased. the belief is that it was a single shooter? >> the belief at this time is that is the case. what they said was that the person they believe is responsible is deceased. they do not indicate that there were any other individuals. you know, again, lester, as you all know, we are less than two hours into this, there is a lot of information and a lot of things that are fluid on the ground. just because this individual may or may not have been assisted by others at this rally, do they have any help in any other way, those are big questions that will be answered in the next couple of minutes or hours. typically, based on past events, as you know, this is usually one individual that is involved. of course, investigators have to keep their minds open. as reporters who rely on that information, investigation is going on and doing their own homework we are keeping our minds open too.

>> you have a huge depth of expense in these breaking news matters especially when they involve issues like what we are seeing play out here. is it likely this thing will unfold very quickly? that they will work backwards from the moment of the shooting and have a pretty good idea of what they are dealing with? >> let's take law-enforcement worst-case scenario with respect to the investigation. this individual had no identity on him, no background, the fbi would be able to fingerprint him at the scene and be able to get information either that way , or they would look into facial recognition to see if they could identify him in any government database. from there, they might know where the individual lives or relatives and they will comb through every inch of social media. they will have the ability to go to social media companies and ask for an emergency warrants and they will most certainly be granted to get

access to those medications, suffolk medications, text communication, all of that will be part of the investigation. >> i apologize i asked you a question and i have to interrupt you. we are getting information, the butler county da says one spectator has died in this incident and one has been wounded and is in critical condition and the shooter, as tom reported, is dead. to repeat that news, this comes from the butler county da, one spectator at the trump rally is dead, another is in critical condition, and the shooter, who we believe at this hour, the low shooter is also dead and as our colleague, tom winter was reporting, they will work quickly and work backwards and we will learn a lot about this individual in a short amount of time. you see former president trump trying to acknowledge the crowd while being obviously stunned and being led to the safety of a armored vehicle. it appears that he is okay, suffering what we all have been

able to see as some sort of a graze wound to his ear. we heard him asking for his shoes. he was led away. he continues to turn toward the crowd to offer a sense of assurance that he is okay. he is now clear of the scene. as people continue to leave, all of them tell stories of hearing pops. one woman we had on was able to describe the shooter, now that we have that confirmed, her account certainly jives with what we are getting from the officials in butler county, pennsylvania. that is the crowd here trying to rally their spirits and certainly, this was several minutes into the former presidents rally there in pennsylvania when this occurred , multiple what sounded like shots, pops, we presume they

were gunshots fired in his direction as he was looking to the right . a little unclear, he grabs his ear and you can see his team of secret service agents quickly swarm him and confirm he is clear and out of danger. the risk was nullified and then he is escorted to his vehicle and to safety. that area you're looking at right now is a crime scene. we have seen several pictures where you see police crime tape . they will treat it as any other crime scene and try to get details. we do not know what this means in terms of the exact injury that former president trump received, what treatment he may be receiving, what this will do to his ability to campaign. we of course expect to see him in the coming week at the republican national convention is about to begin on monday in milwaukee. rnc officials are trying to figure that out. right now, the greatest concern

is from that angle is the health of the former president and, of course, thoughts are turning to the one spectator who was killed in this. another spectator is in critical condition from a wound sustained during this. nbc's dasha burns is just outside the trump rally north of pittsburgh. she has been giving us plenty of updates. dosha, you have confirmed one spectator has been killed and the shooter himself is a dead. >> lester, for those who are joining us in this moment, just a reminder, our team, we were in the press pen when this happened. we were in front of a camera, just getting off-camera as the former president started to speak a few minutes into his speech this transpired. we ran for cover as we were trying to figure out what exactly happened, initially thinking it was fireworks, then

realizing it could be something more serious and now we know deadly. i am in the parking lot right now just outside of this venue. this is where the press and general attendees have had their cars parked. this is where we evacuated to when we were told to leave the site that is a crime scene. i have been running into witnesses as people have been trying to find their cars and make their way out. that is where i ran into a man named joseph. i want to introduce you now, joseph, you were not listening to the program. lester holt, nbc news just reporting that one of the attendees has deceased from injuries as a result of the shooting. you told me off-camera that you may have witnessed this. i'm so sorry to be talking to you in this tragic moment. can you describe what it is that you saw? >> i was attending the rally. i was in the teachers, very far left of the podium where donald

trump or president trump was speaking. i heard several gunshots, the man beside me suffered a gunshot wound to the head was instantly killed. fell to the bottom of the bleachers. another woman looked like she was hit in the for harm forearm or hand, at that time it was rather chaotic at that point, half the people were looking because they thought it was fireworks and i knew it was gunshots right away. my friend hit the deck. i was looking around to see where the shots were coming, i saw the man get hit from the head from behind he was killed instantly the swat team started evacuating and helped carry the man out of the tent did from the bleachers to the tent. >> you helped carried the man.

what was his condition? >> he was deceased. >> how close are you to him? >> a couple of yards, not very far. >> did you know the man? >> no. a complete stranger. they put a towel over his head and carried him off. >> you said there was another woman nearby who was injured. where was she in relation? >> i believe she was in the bleachers behind and above me or to the side of him it seemed like she was in my flank and she flinched and it looked like she took a gunshot wound to the forearm and hand. >> where i was standing, we heard multiple gunshots, 8-11 shots, we heard it replayed on the video. do you remember, it was a chaotic scene, at what point was it immediate when you heard the gunshots that he was shot, or was it later on? >> the first seven. he was hit and she was hit within the first seven shots, i counted seven shots.

>> what was going through your mind? i know it happened quickly, what can you tell us about those moments? >> first i was in shock, i know what gunshots sound like i just could not tell where they were coming from. when i noticed someone was hit, it seemed like there were coming from behind me and it was pandemonium. i heard more shots and i cannot quite tell where they were coming from. i counted the first seven and they were loud and close. it killed one man and wounded another woman. >> joseph, you told me you are a doctor, a ob/gyn, how did that background play into how quickly you're able to assess the situation and know what happened to these individuals and know what was going on great >> i told the police when i tried to render assistance i told police i could render assistance but they had another physician to take over so they did not need me so i just helped carry him down from the bleachers. the man that got hit, there was

no assistance that needed to be given and unfortunately his family witnessed the whole thing. it seemed like he had several family members with him and they were quite upset. they were in shock, they do not quite know what was going on. the man was definitely killed instantly. >> can you tell how many family members were with him? what were the reaction? >> thought that there were five, two were hysterical. we took the man out of the bleachers and he went to the tent, there was some sort of tent behind the bleachers where they took the body and they immediately evacuated the family and two of the five were in shock and hysterical, they were still processing what was going on. >> from where i was standing, we heard the shots and was on the president go down. >> i saw president trump get hit. >> can you tell us what details remember. >> his head was to the side and

it seemed like he was nicked in the ear >> was that before secret service took them down? >> right before. it is hard to tell. time dilated seems like a second or two. the first seven shots that went off the man was hit he was killed almost instantly, the woman of the bleachers was injured she was hit in the forearm and the hand and rounds that were fired, again i was videoing the event, that's when i saw trump it hit. it seemed to me that he was looking to the side and around grace his ear. >> could you tell, the man who was hit in the head, what angle was he in relation to the former president, which direction where the bullets coming from? >> it look like he was facing the president on the very far left portion of the bleachers and he was directly facing, it seemed like the shots were coming from over here behind us. to me it seemed like the man was in the way. >> in the way of the former president x

>> the man was in the way of the shots between whoever was shooting the gun and the president. the man was hit and it seemed like he was in the crossfire. >> i know you're in shock and still processing this, it is hard to evaluate our own emotions in this moment, you just experienced something horrific. >> yes. >> what can you tell us about your state of mind right now? >> i have had opportunities to go to these rallies before, this is the first time i have ever been to one. i was kind of excited. everyone -- it is something you don't expect. it is a bullet out of the blue. it is shocking. you know, the way politics goes in this country it is very -- everyone is angry. i am shocked this hasn't happened earlier. i was commenting with my friend who went to the event with me, i said back behind the

bleachers i said it feels open. i just got the sense of someone wanted to do something, i was openly talking to her, i said, if something bad would happen, this is the perfect venue, i said this an hour before. i said this is the perfect place to do it. surprisingly enough it happened. >> devastating observation from the. let me ask you one more question. from where i was, there was confusion, then trump stood up and there were some cheers and people remained, those who were in the immediate zone where you were, people were still cheering and talking and trying to figure out what was going on , how quickly did you know whether or not there was still a dangerous situation? it seemed like people started to move on quickly and not sure what had happened. how soon did you know whether

or not it was safe? did you want to get out? what did you witness in the immediate aftermath once the shots stopped? >> it seemed like everyone thought it was a prank. when i looked into the crowd i think the initial reaction everyone thought it was a prank and i knew it was a gunshot because i saw a guy get hit. >> for those of us who did not see, some people were laughing at some were confused, it was not immediately clear to the crowd what you witnessed and this was a dangerous and deadly situation. >> it was a dangerous and deadly situation. the problem was, it is a large crowd. when the gunshots went off, my sense was they sounded muffled and it sounded like a firecracker. i think the initial reaction was someone brought fireworks, but i knew better. when i saw the guy had the gunshot wound to the head and i saw the woman hit in the forearm and hand, i knew it was not fireworks. i knew that initially, but i do

not think the majority of the crowd understood it was gunfire. i think people took it seriously when the swat team started jumping over the rails. i don't know what to say outside of that. >> joseph, i cannot imagine what it takes to describe what you just witnessed and these moments right in the aftermath, we thank you so much for sharing. lester. >> dasha, thank you for that account. no one should have to fear for their life going to a political rally. something that is uniquely american. these people have experienced the horror of someone opening fire on the crowd and the former president, who was of course the headliner at the rally tonight. as we have been reporting, one spectator is dead and another in critical condition and the shooter, this is according to the butler county da, the shooter is also deceased.

our senior white house correspondent, kelly o'donnell joins us again. you have a new statement from president biden. >> that is correct. this is from president biden and he talks about this incident. he begins by saying, i have been briefed on the shooting at donald trump's rally in pennsylvania. i'm grateful to hear he is safe and doing well. i'm praying for him and his family, and for all of those who were at the rally as we await further information. jill and i are grateful to the secret service for getting him to safety. there is no place for this kind of violence in america. we must unite as one nation to condemn it. the words of joe biden after learning about this incident involving his predecessor and his current rival in the political environment of this 2024 campaign. the president has been briefed by top officials. he has been talking with homeland security officials, he is at his home in rehobeth, delaware where he has a full complement of the things needed

for the office where he can get the income streams of all of the relevant information. the first statement coming from president biden, i would not at all be surprised if we do not hear more from him tonight as new developments take place. lester. >> kelly, thank you. terry schultz is with the bubbly butler county district attorney's office and she still there. terry, first of all, walk us through what you saw and where you were in the crowd. >> you know, we did not have vip seats. we were a few rows back. we could see the former president and then we were all standing there watching the jumbotron and the next thing we did was we heard shots. i

see his head, the former president had go sideways, you can see blood and at that point i was not looking at anything. my friends were like you need to get down. everybody get down. people were around me, there were some young people crying. to be honest with you, at the time this happened, i was not even sure they were gunshots. then we heard three or four shots and then we heard shots returned. a friend of mine videotaped that and we just watched that and that is what we saw and heard. >> from your vantage point were you able to see where the shots were coming from x?