‘So frightening’: Photographer recounts Trump’s near miss with bullet

“I didn’t know what I had captured, but when I got to my laptop, I could see that bullet flying behind his head because it is definitely not in the frames right before it, and it’s not in afterwards. It’s only that one frame. I was shooting in 1/1,800 of a second. It captured that streak behind him,” he said.

Mills attributed his ability to capture the crucial moments to his extensive experience and instinct. “I’ve covered the president for 40+ years and I’ve always known which way they come onstage and which way they go off. And the closest stairs were to my right, so I ran over to that side and witnessed him being helped up to his feet. My immediate reaction was, ‘Oh my God! He is alive.’”

Describing Trump’s initial reaction after realising he had survived the attempt, Mills said, “All of a sudden, he got near the edge of the stage and raised his fist in defiance. I could see the blood on his face, and that defiance went away in a split second. He became very serious. I thought he looked very pale.”

Mills reflected on the gravity of the situation, saying, “Two very different moments happened in a matter of seconds. It is a moment unlike any in my lifetime, my history, my job of covering the White House since 1983. You never think about something like this ever happening because it is so frightening.”

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) identified the assassin as 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks, who was shot down by Secret Service snipers after firing multiple shots at the former President from a nearby rooftop. Witnesses claimed they had tried to warn security officials about a man moving from roof to roof and laying on his stomach with a gun pointed at the rally. 

First Published: Jul 15 2024 | 4:21 PM IST