One man died and two spectators were in critical condition following the assassination attempt against former President Donald Trump Saturday, CBS News reported. Americans were paralyzed watching the barrage of information that continued to pour in throughout the evening.

Trump had just taken the stage at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania when shots rang out. Secret Service agents rushed the stage to protect Trump as snipers took out the gunman.

As the former president was being led away from the scene with his ear bloodied after being hit, Trump held his fist up high to reassure the crowd. The moment was captured in what even leftist journalist Piers Morgan called "one of the most iconic photographs in American history."

Already one of the most iconic photographs in American history - and one that I suspect will propel Donald Trump back to the White House. ⁦
(Pic ⁦@evanvucci⁩ ⁦⁦@AP⁩ ) pic.twitter.com/rdXtO3XD4A

— Piers Morgan (@piersmorgan) July 14, 2024

A Patriot's Death

While Trump only sustained minor injuries, one patriot in the crowd wasn't as fortunate, which America learned as updates came throughout the evening. According to Sky News, 50-year-old Corey Comperatore was shot and killed.

"The PA Trump Rally claimed the life of my brother, Corey Comperatore," the victim's sister wrote. "The hatred for one man took the life of the one man we loved the most."

She also stated that during the incident, Comperatore "shielded his daughters" from the hail of bullets. Allyson Compertore, the victim's daughter, called her father a "real-life super hero" for his efforts to keep his family safe.

"The media will not tell you that he died a real-life super hero. They are not going to tell you how quickly he threw my mom and I to the ground. They are not going to tell you that he shielded my body from the bullet that came at us," she said on Facebook, Fox News reported.

"He loved his family. He truly loved us enough to take a bullet for us," she added. A statement from the Secret Service obtained by Al Arabiya confirmed that "two spectators were critically injured" in the shooting as well.

The Best News

Of all the updates that poured in, the most encouraging came from Trump himself. In a post to Truth Social shared by MSNBC, Trump confirmed he was "shot with a bullet that pierced the upper part of my right ear" during the attack.

"I knew immediately that something was wrong in that I heard a whizzing sound, shots, and immediately felt the bullet ripping through the skin. Much bleeding took place, so I realized then what was happening," Trump continued.

In the early hours Sunday, Trump posted again about the incident, this time urging unity. "In this moment, it is more important than ever that we stand United, and show our True Character as Americans, remaining Strong and Determined, and not allowing Evil to Win," Trump wrote.

Updates are expected to continue to trickle in throughout the remainder of the weekend as Americans remain glued to the media. However, it seems that Trump was not seriously injured despite the grave threat the shooter posed.

The American people are now left to cope with one of the worst incidents in the nation's history. There's no telling what will happen in the immediate aftermath, but it's clear that its ramifications will be felt for generations to come.