Saurabh Sharma, an attendee at former President Trump's rally in Pennsylvania where gunfire erupted, shares her harrowing eyewitness account of the chaos and confusion that ensued, describing the moment audience members hit the ground and the surreal aftermath.
Saurabh Sharma, the president of American Moment, a Washington D.C.-based training nonprofit, will never forget the moment chaos erupted at former President Trump's rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.
Sharma, an attendee at the event, described the scene as surreal, with attendees initially thinking the gunfire was fireworks until "everyone instantly hit the ground." Amidst the confusion, she witnessed the former president being carried out by Secret Service agents, his fate uncertain.
Eyewitness Witness Account: Chaos, Confusion, and Blood After Gunfire Erupts at Trump Rally
"I remember hearing two sounds. They were pretty light," Sharma recalled. "We thought they were fireworks, but everyone instantly hit the ground. I think the president hit the ground as well. And the Secret Service obviously swarmed over him."
As the dust settled, Sharma noticed a commotion to the left of the stage. "They [Secret Service personnel] went down the stage behind where everything was set up," she said. "There was a huge commotion in the bleachers."
Eyewitness Witness Account: Chaos, Confusion, and Blood After Gunfire Erupts at Trump Rally
"There was a lot of blood," Sharma continued, her voice heavy with emotion. "You could see a lot of people that had blood on their shirts, and it looked like a body got carried out."
The atmosphere in the aftermath was one of "stunned silence" rather than panic. "That whole rally was pretty, pretty stunned by the whole thing," Sharma said. "People weren't really loud. They were muttering to themselves."
Eyewitness Witness Account: Chaos, Confusion, and Blood After Gunfire Erupts at Trump Rally
Sharma, like many others, couldn't help but wonder about the former president's well-being. "No one seemed freaked out either," she said. "They were just in a little bit of a daze walking out. There was a single scream."
The surreal scene left a lasting impact on those who witnessed it. "It was a pretty strange scene," Sharma said. "People were left wondering if the former president was 'okay' and a 'couple of people were crying.'"
Eyewitness Witness Account: Chaos, Confusion, and Blood After Gunfire Erupts at Trump Rally
As the nation reels from this alarming incident, Sharma believes it will cast a long shadow over the upcoming Republican National Convention. "I think this is going to make the RNC have the gravity that it would have never had," she said.
The gunfire erupted onstage shortly after Trump began speaking at the packed rally in the swing state of Pennsylvania. The U.S. Secret Services confirmed that the suspected shooter fired from an "elevated position" and killed at least one person and "critically injured" two others. The alleged shooter was killed by Secret Service personnel. The suspect's identity has not been released.
Eyewitness Witness Account: Chaos, Confusion, and Blood After Gunfire Erupts at Trump Rally
