Photographer Doug Mills on capturing bullet during Trump’s rally assassination attempt
Doug Mills Witnesses and Captures Historic Moment
Pulitzer Prize-winning photographer Doug Mills found himself at the heart of shocking events during a local rally on Saturday. Still camera in hand, Mills was covering the event that took a unexpected turn as former President Donald Trump became the target of an assassination attempt.
Mills, who has been pictorially documenting the moments and actions of presidents since 1983 for the New York Times, initially mistook the sound of gunfire for vehicular noise. However, the grim reality dawned quickly amidst the ensuing chaos. “When I saw him kind of grimace and look to his right and then grab his ear, and looked at it, I thought, and then he went down. I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, he’s been shot’,” said Mills.
Insights into the Horrifying Incident
Law enforcement officials identified the gunman as 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks from Bethel Park, Pennsylvania. After firing a series of rounds into the rally with an AR-style weapon, he was swiftly shot and killed by a Secret Service sniper. Trump was immediately taken off the stage with blood apparent down the side of his face. The shooting also claimed the life of a Pennsylvania firefighter and critically injured two other bystanders.
In the midst of the tumult, Mills persisted in capturing images with his high-speed camera, enabling 30 shots per second. “When he was ushered off the stage, I thought that was going to be the picture that, you know, he was bloodied ear, gave that fist pump. And I thought, you know, as I’m looking back at my camera, I’m sending pictures directly to my editor from my camera,” expressed Mills.
Historic Shot Captured
Distracted by the ensuing chaos, Mills missed sending the images captured while Trump was addressing the crowd. When he rechecked, he noticed Trump’s grimace of pain, which led him to suspect he had captured the case where Trump got shot. Urging his editor to examine the images, it emerged that he had indeed gotten something extraordinary – an image of the bullet in mid-air, moments before hitting Trump. This historic shot is expected to find a place in history books.
A Moment of Shock, a Defiant Fist-Raise, and a Man’s Pale Face
The series of images showed the former president giving a defiant fist pump, his face aghast with shock and pale with the onset of the pain from his wound, and finally blood trickling from his ear and around his mouth. A chilling sight that left even the seasoned Mills apprehensive about the severity of the injury.
Ron Edmonds’ Advice – Keep Shooting
Having worked closely with and learning from his mentor, the famous late photographer Ron Edmonds who was present and at work during the assassination attempt on former President Ronald Reagan, Mills knew what he had to do – Keep shooting. Despite warnings from the Secret Service and Trump’s staff, he continued capturing the surreal moments, documenting a critical chapter of history.
In the face of such adversity, the power of photography has once again emerged, preserving the moments that shaped a nation’s history. The raw and stark images taken by Doug Mills are set to serve as significant elements of historic record for generations to come.
