Ohio State Highway Patrol providing extra security for JD Vance following shooting at Trump rally

Republican Ohio U.S. Sen. J.D. Vance. (Photo by Graham Stokes. Republish photo only with original story.)

The Ohio State Highway Patrol is providing security for U.S. Senator and top vice president contender J.D. Vance after former President Donald Trump survived an apparent assassination attempt Saturday.

Gov. Mike DeWine “approved” a request for security Saturday at 6:40 p.m., according to the governor’s spokesperson, Dan Tierney. Vance lives in the Cincinnati area, so troopers are monitoring his home.

When asked who requested the details, Tierney responded that he couldn’t comment further. OSHP also couldn’t elaborate.

“For safety reasons, the Patrol does not discuss specific details related to security operations,” Lt. Ray Santiago said.

The 39-year-old Republican businessman and author is one of the frontrunners in getting the coveted running-mate position with Trump.

Trump was shot in the ear but said he was doing fine during a campaign rally in Pennsylvania. One person in the crowd was killed, and two other people are in critical condition, according to the Butler County District Attorney.

The violence comes just a day before the Republican National Convention is set to begin in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Our Scripps News political team is in Milwaukee and reports security is being ramped up inside the Fiserv Forum, an arena in Downtown Milwaukee where the RNC is set to take place starting this week.

Authorities say 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks of Bethel Park, Pennsylvania, was responsible for the attack. The Associated Press reported that law enforcement said they found bomb-making materials in the suspect’s vehicle and home, located in a suburb outside of Pittsburgh about an hour away from where the rally took place.

Vance blamed President Joe Biden for the attempted assassination, writing on X:

“Today is not just some isolated incident. The central premise of the Biden campaign is that President Donald Trump is an authoritarian fascist who must be stopped at all costs. That rhetoric led directly to President Trump’s attempted assassination.”

Follow WEWS statehouse reporter Morgan Trau on X and Facebook .

This article was originally published on News5Cleveland.com and is published in the Ohio Capital Journal under a content-sharing agreement. Unlike other OCJ articles, it is not available for free republication by other news outlets as it is owned by WEWS in Cleveland.

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The post Ohio State Highway Patrol providing extra security for JD Vance following shooting at Trump rally appeared first on Ohio Capital Journal .