According to the New York Post, a sniper who attempted to assassinate former US President Donald Trump at a campaign rally in Pennsylvania on July 13 (local time) had set up an ambush on the rooftop of a factory about 120m away from the event venue.
The outdoor campaign rally was held within the grounds of the Butler Farm Show – a vast expanse of open fields, which allowed the sniper’s line of sight from the rooftop to the former President’s position to remain unobstructed.
In response to the New York Post, the US counter-sniper team said they had neutralized the shooter, returning fire from the rooftop of the building behind the grandstand.
The building where the sniper’s body was later found is part of the AGR International, Inc. complex – a company that specializes in providing automation equipment for the plastic and glass packaging industry. The AGR International property directly borders the Farm Show grounds, separated only by a chain-link fence.
According to Google Street View, this is building number 6 within the complex. The lack of vegetation around the AGR International property provided the sniper a clear vantage point from the rooftop.
“There was nothing to obstruct the rifle barrel of the shooter from the former President’s head except grass,” the New York Post wrote.
A law enforcement source told the Associated Press that they had recovered a semi-automatic assault rifle at the scene.
Another law enforcement source told the NY Post that the sniper’s bullet may have been deflected by glass before striking Trump.
Footage from the scene showed 9 shots fired, with 3 shots fired before Trump ducked for cover. Additional shots were returned by the US Secret Service.
“I was hit in the upper right part of my chest. I immediately knew something was wrong when I heard the whizzing sound, the crack of the gun, and felt the pain in my skin. There was a lot of blood, so I realized what was happening,” former President Trump recounted the moment he called a “near-death experience” in a post on Truth Social on the evening of July 13.