The photo was nearly impossible to capture.
A photographer caught the heartstopping moment a bullet was headed straight for Donald Trump during an election rally in Pennsylvania.
One spectator was killed at the event, with two more being critically injured.
The gunman was shot and killed by the Secret Service, and has since been identified by the FBI as Thomas Matthew Crooks.
“The FBI has identified Thomas Matthew Crooks, 20, of Bethel Park, Pennsylvania, as the subject involved in the assassination attempt of former President Donald Trump on 13 July, in Butler, Pennsylvania,” the FBI said in a statement.
“This remains an active and ongoing investigation.”
Following the incident, Trump took to his own social media platform Truth Social to issue a statement.
“I want to thank The United States Secret Service, and all of Law Enforcement, for their rapid response on the shooting that just took place in Butler, Pennsylvania,” he wrote.
“Most importantly, I want to extend my condolences to the family of the person at the Rally who was killed, and also to the family of another person that was badly injured.
“It is incredible that such an act can take place in our Country. Nothing is known at this time about the shooter, who is now dead.
“I was shot with a bullet that pierced the upper part of my right ear,” Trump continued.
“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 realised then what was happening. GOD BLESS AMERICA!”
The 78-year-old has since left hospital and returned home to New Jersey.
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One of the most remarkable images to come out in the aftermath of the assassination attempt comes from a photographer for the New York Times.
The image by Doug Mills appears to show a bullet just centimetres away from the former President’s head.
“It absolutely could be showing the displacement of air due to a projectile,” retired FBI agent Michael Harrigan told the outlet after reviewing images from the rally.
“The angle seems a bit low to have passed through his ear, but not impossible if the gunman fired multiple rounds.”
“Most cameras used to capture images of bullets in flight are using extremely high speed specialty cameras not normally utilised for regular photography, so catching a bullet on a side trajectory as seen in that photo would be a one in a million shot and nearly impossible to catch even if one knew the bullet was coming,” he continued.
However, with the camera that Mills used, and the weapon the suspect likely used, the photo was not impossible to capture.
“Given the circumstances, if that’s not showing the bullet’s path through the air, I don’t know what else it would be,” Harrigan concluded.
