A handful of local leaders reacted to the news and visuals of a failed attempt to assassinate former President Donald Trump as he spoke at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania on Saturday.

At approximately 6:15 p.m. EST, roughly 15 minutes into his speech, a barrage of gunfire was heard. After grabbing at his right ear, a bloodied Trump, who was grazed by a bullet, was surrounded by Secret Service and hurried to his SUV as he pumped his fist in a show of defiance. The incident was confirmed to be an assassination attempt by the Federal Bureau of Investigation early the following morning.

“I knew immediately that something was wrong in that I heard a whizzing sound, shots, and immediately felt the bullet ripping through the skin. Much bleeding took place,” Trump wrote on his social media site, Truth Social, hours after the incident.

One attendee was killed and two spectators were critically injured, authorities said.

The FBI identified the shooter early Sunday as Thomas Matthew Crooks, 20, of Bethel Park, Pennsylvania. Secret Service agents fatally shot Crooks, who attacked from an elevated position outside the rally venue at a farm show in Butler, Pennsylvania, the agency said.

The agency has not yet identified any underlying ideology or threatening writing or social media posts from Crooks, who had no past criminal cases against him, according to public court records. The FBI believes Crooks acted alone and the shooting was being investigated as a potential act of domestic terrorism.

The identity of the deceased has been confirmed to be Corey Comperatore, a former fire chief and lifetime volunteer with the Buffalo Township Volunteer Fire Company. Comperatore spent his final moments diving down in front of his family, protecting them from the gunfire aimed at the former president.

The two others injured are David Dutch, 57, of New Kensington, Pennsylvania, and James Copenhaver, 74, of Moon Township, Pennsylvania, according to the Pennsylvania State Police. Both were listed in stable condition as of Monday morning.

One of the first members of Congress to comment on the matter was John Duarte (R-Hughson) who represents the 13th District that includes the downtown and west side of Turlock, as well as some surrounding neighborhoods.

“I am shocked by the news of a shooting at former President Trump’s rally in Pennsylvania today,” Duarte posted on X (formerly Twitter) about a half hour after the attack. “This was clearly an assassination attempt on a presidential candidate. Political violence is unacceptable, senseless, and un-American. My thoughts are with former President Trump, his family, and all of those affected.”

Nearly an hour later, State Senator Marie Alvarado-Gil (D-Jackson) of the 4th District that includes Stanislaus and Merced counties, described any attacks against elected officials as threats to “the very foundation of our democracy.”

“It is imperative that the full force of the law must be utilized to safeguard our democratic principles,” she said. “My prayers are with the former president and those who were injured or killed.”

Later in the day, Assemblymember Juan Alanis (R-Modesto), who represents parts of Stanislaus and Merced counties in District 22, responded to the violent act on X.

“My heart is heavy for our nation tonight,” he said. “The use of violence in our society, especially to achieve political means, is NEVER justified. Hate & terror will never prevail while true Americans, good people from all walks of life, stand in defiance of it. This will forever be the great strength of our nation. Barbara & I both mourn the loss of innocent life. We are both relieved that former President Trump is safe. We call on everyone in our nation to take the political temperature down and remember who we are as Americans.”

Rep. Tom McClintock (R-El Dorado Hills), a devout Christian who represents the 5th Congressional District, which includes Turlock’s east side and Denair, described Trump narrowly avoiding a direct shot to his head as a result of God’s protection.

“At critical moments in our history the hand of Providence has intervened to protect our country, and I believe we witnessed that today,” McClintock said on X. “This should awaken every American to the dangerous and violent lunatic fringe that is stirring in our country and we must ALL unite against it.”

President Joe Biden addressed the nation from the Rehoboth Beach Police Department in his home state of Delaware roughly three hours after the assassination attempt, describing it as “sick” while condemning all acts of political violence.

“We cannot allow for this to be happening. We cannot be like this. We cannot condone this,” Biden said.

Vice President Kamala Harris released a statement just prior to Biden’s remarks.

“Doug and I are relieved that (Trump) is not seriously injured. We are praying for him, his family, and all those who have been injured and impacted by this senseless shooting,” Harris said. “We are grateful to the United States Secret Service, first responders, and local authorities for their immediate action. Violence such as this has no place in our nation. We must all condemn this abhorrent act and do our part to ensure that it does not lead to more violence.”

The president spoke again the following morning from the Roosevelt Room of the White House, sharing that he had a phone conversation with Trump and expressing gratitude to learn that his political rival was doing well and recovering.

“We had a short but good conversation. Jill and I are keeping him and his family in our prayers,” Biden said. “We also extend our deepest condolences to the family of the victim who was killed. He was a father. He was protecting his family from the bullets that were being fired, and he lost his life.  God love him. We’re also praying for the full recovery of those who were injured.  And we’re grateful to the Secret Service agents and other law enforcement agencies who — and individuals who risked their lives, literally, for our nation.

“An assassination attempt is contrary to everything we stand for as a nation. Everything. It’s not who we are as a nation. It’s not America, and we cannot allow this to happen. Unity is the most elusive goal of all, but nothing is important than that right now — unity. We’ll debate, and we’ll disagree. That’s not going to change. But it’s going to — we’re going to not lose sight of the fact of who we are as Americans.”

Biden spoke publicly for a third time since the deadly incident late Sunday evening from the Oval Office. He expressed similar sentiments in the nearly seven-minute address.

“Disagreement is inevitable in American democracy. It’s part of human nature. But politics must never be a literal battlefield and, God forbid, a killing field,” he said. “I believe politics ought to be an arena for peaceful debate, to pursue justice, to make decisions guided by the Declaration of Independence and our Constitution.  

“We stand for an America not of extremism and fury but of decency and grace. All of us now face a time of testing as the election approaches.  And the higher the stakes, the more fervent the passions become. This places an added burden on each of us to ensure that no matter how strong our convictions, we must never descend into violence.”

Biden repeated in his two Sunday addresses that there would be a heightened level of security for Trump moving forward and that he directed the head of the Secret Service to review all security measures for the Republican National Convention, which began Monday at the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He also said that he has directed an independent review of the security at Saturday’s rally.

Additionally, California Governor Gavin Newsom announced Monday that the state has deployed 61 law enforcement officers to Milwaukee to help security efforts at the Republican National Convention through the Emergency Management Assistance Compact. Per the press release, the request for these officers had been planned since May 2024 and is being coordinated by the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services.

The deployment includes 40 members of the California Highway Patrol, and officers from Bakersfield, Fresno and Long Beach police departments. 

“Public safety transcends party lines. California is proud to support our law enforcement colleagues in Wisconsin during this important political event,” Newsom said. “Working together, we are helping to provide a safe and secure environment for all participants at the Republican National Convention.”

Newsom posted a brief statement on social media channels hours after the assassination attempt, saying, “Violence has NO place in our democracy. My thoughts are with President Trump and everyone impacted at the rally today.”

On Monday afternoon, the Homeland Security secretary announced that Biden also directed the U.S. Secret Service to protect independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. He is a longshot to win Electoral College votes, much less the presidency. But his campaign events have drawn large crowds of supporters and people interested in his message. 

“Thank you, President Biden, for extending me Secret Service protection,” Kennedy said in a statement. He also thanked his private security firm, Gavin de Becker & Associates, “for keeping me safe for the past 15 months of my presidential campaign.” 

Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said Biden had directed the protection for Kennedy “both prior to and after the events of this past weekend.” 

The Secret Service is legally required to protect major party presidential and vice presidential candidates and their families 120 days out from a general election, but third-party candidates are treated on an as-needed basis. Kennedy, who has paid millions for private security, claims the cost limited his ability to campaign.

Saturday’s attack on Trump was the most serious attempt to assassinate a president or presidential candidate since Ronald Reagan was shot in 1981. 

Four U.S. presidents have been assassinated — Abraham Lincoln, James Garfield, William McKinley and John Kennedy.

— The Associated Press contributed to this report.