REVEALED: 911 calls of 'gunshots at the Trump rally' released from Butler, PA assassination attempt

The first 911 call that was made on July 13 in response to the first assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump came in at 6:12 pm in Butler, Pennsylvania. The calls have been released following a report from an independent commission that found that if USSS had "an unlimited budget [it] would not, by itself, remediate many of the failures of July 13."

A woman's voice cried out on the call, "Gunshots at the Trump rally. Gunshots-"

She was interrupted by a 911 operator who said, "Yup, the police are on their way there."

"Better get here quick," the woman replied. After that first call, which lasted around 15 seconds, the 911 center over the next half hour was inundated with calls that recorded some of the screams and panic that accompanied the first assassination attempt on Trump's life, according to NBC News, which obtained the recordings as part of a lawsuit for public records. 

“We’re at the Trump assembly and there’s a guy shooting,” another woman called in a few moments later. “He’s been shooting up the place." She was asked by the 911 operator if anyone was hurt, however, the woman must not have been aware of the circumstances of those hit by the shots and answered, "No, no one’s injured. But I’m scared."

Thomas Matthew Crooks, the would-be assassin, was able to evade security stemming from failures of communication and coordination between the US Secret Service (USSS) and local authorities. An independent commission report stated that if USSS had "an unlimited budget," that "would not, by itself, remediate many of the failures of July 13."

Another person called in within minutes of the shooting and said, "The Butler fair, it’s getting shot up." Although Trump escaped death by a fraction of an inch, getting shot in the ear, three behind him were hit with the bullets from Crooks' rifle, including Corey Comperatore, who died. The two others who were injured were David Dutch and James Copenhaver. The shooter was able to get off eight rounds before getting taken out by a USSS sniper.



During one of the calls, a woman called in, telling a dispatcher that her husband had been shot at the rally, although the report from NBC News did not indicate which victim it was. "Paramedics serviced him,” she said. “I called Butler Hospital. He’s not there. They told me to call 911."

Some calls were placed from jurisdictions outside of Butler, with adult children calling with concern for their parents. One man called in from North Carolina, telling the dispatcher that his mother was calling him from the rally. “She called me saying there’s an active shooter on the ground there,” the man stated.

In another call, a woman was transferred from another jurisdiction to the Butler 911 center, who said, that her mother was at the rally and had called her. She said with a quavering voice that “a bunch of people are on the ground and she’s like screaming–"

The 911 operator responded, “Yep, the police are there, they’re taking care of the situation."

"What am I supposed to do?" the woman asked about her mother's situation.

"The police are taking care of the situation there. If she’s able to evacuate the area there, the police are going to start getting people out of there," the dispatcher said in response.

After the first attempt on Trump's life, a second took place as he was golfing on his course in West Palm Beach, Florida, where Ryan Routh was allegedly waiting for hours to target the GOP nominee. He was spotted by USSS, who fired on him, and he was arrested later after fleeing in a car. Both incidents have caused concern over USSS' policies and have led to wider scrutiny of the federal security force.