WOOD COUNTY, Ohio — The public is reacting to Saturday's assassination attempt of former president Donald Trump in an event that shocked the nation and killed one bystander.
Federal investigators are trying to figure out what motivated would-be assassin, 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks, to shoot multiple rounds at a Pennsylvania rally Saturday, one of which grazed Trump's ear during a speech.
The shooter was killed by the secret service; meanwhile, 50-year-old Corey Comperatore, a rally attendee, was killed while trying to shield his family from the gunfire. Two other spectators were critically injured, officials said.
The FBI is investigating this as an act of domestic terrorism and reactions to the attempted assassination are pouring in.
WTOL 11 caught up with travelers near the Ohio Turnpike in Wood County who said it was a shocking moment in American history.
"It's making me emotional actually," said Stacey Combs, a Toledo resident. "It was very scary to see especially with the way the world is right now. I didn't ever expect to live through something like this, to see one of our presidents get shot. So now it's like, 'What is going to happen?'"
Other travelers expressed similar sentiments.
"It was kind of a shocker to me," said Jason Ramsey, a truck driver from Toledo. "I'm kind of still processing everything that just happened. I'm still trying to think: what happened? How did it happen?"
Ethan Steers was traveling through the Turnpike from Illinois to Cedar Point in Sandusky when he watched the shooting.
"It kind of blew me away because the last assassination was a long time ago. And for someone to actually attempt that and get that close is pretty scary," said Steers.
The Republican National Convention kicks off Monday in Milwaukee. This will be former president Trump's first appearance since the assassination attempt.
Meanwhile, President Biden is preparing for his address at the Democratic convention set to take place on Aug. 19.
Despite heated exchanges over the last few months between both candidates, much of the rhetoric has been paused. Currently their focus is on denouncing the violence.
President Biden addressed the nation and condemned the assassination attempt from the oval office Sunday night. He said in part, "Disagreement is inevitable in American democracy. It's human nature. but politics must never be a literal battlefield. We stand for an America not of extremism and fury, but of decency and grace."
Former president Trump thanked the public for their support on his social media site, Truth Social.
"Thank you to everyone for your thoughts and prayers yesterday," he said. "It was God alone who prevented the unthinkable from happening."
WTOL 11 will continue to follow the latest developments in the assassination attempt on air and online and share as we learn more.
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