Locals, Law Enforcement express their opinions on Trump Rally shooting

BAY COUNTY, FL. ( WMBB ) – Thousands across the country continue to react to the news of Trump’s rally shooting.

On Saturday evening, around 6 p.m., at a rally in Butler Pennsylvania, former President Donald Trump was speaking at a podium until multiple shots rang out.

A bystander was hit and killed, while two others were critically injured.

The upper part of Trump’s right ear was grazed by one of the bullets. Many Bay County residents were stunned.

“That’s crazy. I don’t understand why someone would do that,” resident Grace Steitz said.

“I just had a funny feeling to go up and turn on the TV, take a break from the book, turn on the TV, and started crying,” resident Margaret Zarger said.

The last presidential assassination was in November 1963, when John F. Kennedy was riding in a motorcade through Dealey Plaza in Dallas Texas.

The last assassination attempt was in March 1981, when Ronald Reagan was shot outside a Hilton hotel in Washington.

“I remember seeing that on television. And of course, I was a deputy sheriff in 81 when Reagan attempt on him. And then today or yesterday seeing that it was just like, wow,” Franklin County Sheriff A.J Smith said.

The failed attempt has some people worried about where the country is headed and overall upset at the violence.

“Oh, my goodness. Well, at first, yeah, I’m worried. I’m worried for our country,” Zarger said.

In my lifetime now 65 years old, I’ve never seen the division in our country like it is right now,” Smith said.

But they are happy to see that his injuries were not too severe.

“Oh, gosh. Yeah. He is the strongest person that I’ve met in years,” Zarger added.

After witnessing the near death of a political leader, some people just want to push politics aside and focus on uniting together as a country.

“No matter what you affiliated with it, no matter what you value as a human, as a straight up person, as a person, as somebody values somebody that we people look up to, I just think straight up. No, I don’t care how much you hate them, how much love them, how much anything else in between that is still a valuable person to society and life,” resident Martin Shaundell said.

Sheriff Smith says he’s praying for all those involved in Saturday’s shooting.

“I mean, my heart goes out to the victims. I mean, you know, to President Trump, of course, but to the people who just came there to show their support for their political candidate and lost their life are severely injured. I mean, that’s that’s just it’s horrific. It’s terrible,” Smith added.

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