The photo went viral as authorities investigated what they called an assassination attempt on the former president.
Image courtesy of The Associated Press
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A photo authentically shows an officer killing a gunman who allegedly opened fire on former US President Donald Trump and “saved” his life.
As of this writing, authorities are investigating the shooting at a Trump rally as a possible assassination attempt. Authorities told The Associated Press that Secret Service agents killed the shooter. However, the identity of the person in the photo was unknown and there was no evidence to confirm or deny that he fired his weapon, much less prove that he shot anyone.
On July 13, 2024, as authorities investigated what they believed to be an assassination attempt on former U.S. President Donald Trump at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, a photo (archived) of an armed police officer standing at the scene of the event went viral. According to social media posts, he killed “the shooter within seconds of opening fire” and “saved Trump’s life.”
Associated Press photographer Evan Vucci took the photo and various media outlets published it. The AP captioned the photo:
Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump is covered by U.S. Secret Service agents during a campaign rally, Saturday, July 13, 2024, in Butler, Pa. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci).
No further details were released in the photo, which appears to show the moments after the gunfire in the outdoor venue. US Secret Service agents can be seen in the background attacking Trump, who was speaking at a lectern seconds earlier.
In other words, the identity of the armed police officer on the scene was unknown and there was no evidence to confirm or deny that he had used his weapon, much less to prove that he had shot and killed anyone. He appeared to be wearing a “POLICE” badge on his chest.
The shooter was not at the rally and was killed by Secret Service agents, according to two officials who spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity.
A local prosecutor said the suspected shooter and at least one participant were dead. The Secret Service said two spectators were seriously injured. (…)
The officials (who spoke unnamed) said the shooter was attacked by members of the U.S. Secret Service’s counterattack team and killed. The heavily armed tactical team travels with the president and major party candidates everywhere and is supposed to deal with any active threats while other agents focus on protecting and evacuating the person at the center of the protection.
However, authorities have not released the name(s) or identity of the officers who allegedly shot and killed the gunman.
We have reached out to the Secret Service, as well as the AP’s Vucci, for comment on the person pictured. We will update this report if we receive a response.
Sources
“The shooting at the Trump rally is being investigated as an attempted assassination, AP sources say.” AP NewsJuly 13, 2024,
