Panic, prayers as shooter starts firing at Trump rally

Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump is helped off the stage at a campaign event in Butler, Pa., on Saturday, July 13, 2024.-AP

BUTLER, PENNSYLVANIA (AFP): A string of pops sent a crowd of thousands of Donald Trump supporters diving for cover as the Secret Service rushed to protect the man they had waited hours in the sun to see.

A lectern emblazoned with the former president's name was knocked sideways, and the crowd gasped as agents lifted the 78-year-old Republican back to his feet after storming the stage.