Donald Trump turned his head seconds in a potentially life-saving move moments before a bullet grazed his right ear, witnesses said.
The former president moved to show a chart at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, just before he was shot in the upper ear on Saturday evening. Witnesses told Sky News that Trump could have been shot in the head if he had not moved.
Witnesses said gunman aimed at Trump's head but he moved out of the way in the last second.
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Sources said the suspected shooter, now dead, had his rifle aimed at Trump for "two to three minutes" before discharging the weapon.
Trump , 78, confirmed he was shot in the upper right ear. Two people, including the suspected shooter, were killed and two others were critically injured in the shooting. Witnesses said a man was seen on a rooftop before shots were fired.
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US Rep for Pennsylvania Mike Kelly told Sky News: "We heard everybody say get down but I think he was already going down. That's when everybody thought at first.
"Maybe he had been hit more severely than he was. I mean, it's already severe. And let's face it, it hit zero. It could have been a little bit closer. It could have been disastrous, but when he went down to the ground and he got up, he put his fist up in the air and his hand up in the air so we knew he was okay."
The Secret Service confirmed the suspected shooter is dead. In a statement, it said: "US Secret Service personnel neutralized the shooter, who is now deceased. US Secret Service quickly responded with protective measures and the former president is safe and being evaluated. One spectator was killed, two spectators were critically injured."
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During a BBC interview, a witness said he saw the alleged gunman "bear-crawling up the roof of the building about 50ft away from us."
He added: "He had a rifle, you could clearly see. We were pointing at him and told the police." The witness also shockingly revealed that he saw the Secret Service "blew [the suspect's head off]."
An audience member shared his confusion during the chaos, stating: "I'm thinking to myself, 'why is Trump still speaking? Why haven't they pulled him off the stage? I'm standing there pointing at him for two to three minutes and next thing you know, five shots ran out."
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The man also spoke about the aftermath, detailing how he and other attendees tried to communicate with law enforcement, believing they had a crucial perspective on the suspect. He explained to the media: "We were telling the police, we were pointing at him for the Secret Service who were looking at us from the top of the barn. They were looking at us the whole time."
Following the horrifying incident, another attendee gave a chilling recount of the incident to Sky News. In a live broadcast, the eye-witness conveyed: "He was just giving the typical rally speech that he typically does everywhere, you know trying to encourage voters to get out and vote and talking about his plan for America."
Recalling the moments after the shooting, he continued: "We heard everybody say 'get down' but I think he was already going down. That's when everybody thought at first that maybe he had been hit more severely than he was. I mean it's already severe."
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