Eyewitness accounts and videos from Trump Butler PA rally July 13 2024

1. What happened on the ground: immediate eyewitness and video traces

Multiple outlets captured the chaotic moments: video and still photography show Secret Service agents tending to Trump onstage as gunfire rang out, crowds panicking, and law-enforcement returning fire and then conducting scene security; Reuters’ photo gallery and AP collections provide sequential images of agents assisting Trump and inspecting the site after shots were fired ^{[1] [2]}. C-SPAN’s live-event feed and summaries also note that gunshots were heard during the rally and that national leaders publicly condemned the shooting ^[3].

2. The person identified as the shooter and the official frame

Investigative timelines and reporting identify 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks as the alleged shooter who had been observed visiting the site earlier in July and had practiced with a rifle the day before the rally, according to assembled reporting and timelines cited in news coverage ^{[5] [6]}. The FBI placed the Butler shooting at the center of an ongoing investigation, explicitly treating it as an assassination attempt on the former president and a potential act of domestic terrorism, and encouraged submission of video and photos via an FBI portal ^[4].

3. What eyewitness videos add — and their limits

Eyewitness videos and photos are central to reconstructing the sequence: they show Trump being whisked offstage, agents covering him, and later agents searching the field and vehicles ^{[2] [1]}. Such footage clarifies crowd reaction and some law-enforcement movement, but available visual material cannot by itself establish motive, exact ballistic trajectories, or whether all shots came from one location; those forensic conclusions are being handled by law enforcement and the FBI investigation ^[4].

4. Official and political reactions captured on video and in statements

Public reactions — recorded in live feeds and later briefings — ranged from condemnation by national officials to political scrutiny of protective agencies. C-SPAN captured remarks characterizing July 13 as a serious operational failure for protective services, and subsequent political figures and committee leaders publicly pressed for investigative transparency ^[3]. Congressional members and commentators later raised questions about pre-event intelligence and communications between agencies, a narrative reflected in reporting summarizing political fallout ^[5].

5. How media outlets compiled the visual record

Regional and national outlets compiled photo galleries and timelines from multiple eyewitness sources: Reuters produced sequential photos of the moments before, during and after shots were fired; AP and local papers published images of Secret Service action and scene aftermath; timeline reporting synthesized social-media traces, site visits by the alleged shooter, and purchases relevant to the case ^{[1] [2] [6]}. Those compilations created the visual and chronological backbone investigators and the public used to piece events together.

6. Investigative status and public evidence requests

The FBI assumed lead responsibility and publicly solicited videos and images from attendees to bolster the probe, explicitly calling the incident an assassination attempt and possible domestic-terrorism matter; the bureau has been briefing Congress and releasing updates tied to the investigation ^[4]. Media reporting notes that bodycam and related police footage were later released under public-records requests and that independent reviews of protective-agency performance were convened ^{[5] [3]}.

7. What sources do not (yet) say — boundaries of current reporting

Available sources do not mention a definitive reconstruction of all ballistic evidence in public reporting here, nor a final public report establishing every tactical failure point; forensic conclusions and any comprehensive Secret Service after-action report are described as ongoing or subject to later review ^{[4] [3]}. Available sources do not mention complete metadata for every crowd video or every eyewitness statement; investigators continue to collect material ^[4].

8. How to interpret eyewitness video responsibly

Eyewitness video is powerful for chronology and motion but incomplete for motive, shooter intent, or full operational assessment; those require forensic, ballistic, and law-enforcement records that the FBI is assembling ^{[4] [6]}. Consumers of footage should weigh the corroborating value of multiple clips and rely on official evidence filings rather than single unverified posts when drawing firm conclusions ^{[1] [2]}.

If you want, I can catalog and summarize the publicly available photo/video collections and timelines mentioned above (Reuters, AP, C‑SPAN, FBI page) and list specific clips or galleries you might review first.