“I never thought something like this could happen. It’s so terrifying,” a New York Times photographer said.
 "'It's so scary': Cameraman looks back on Trump's bullet-dodge")
Photo: X@elonmuskNandini Singh New Delhi
Former US President Donald Trump narrowly escaped an assassination attempt at a rally in Pennsylvania on July 13. The moment, captured by veteran New York Times photographer Doug Mills, shows a bullet graze the 78-year-old leader’s right ear before traveling just behind his face.
Veteran photographer Doug Mills, who has covered US presidents since 1983, explained the unusual circumstances under which the image was taken.
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“It happened so fast but now I see it all in slow motion. I was taking the picture and I started to hear a popping sound. My finger happened to be on the shutter and I heard the popping sound but I kept going,” Mills recalled.
“I didn’t know what I’d filmed, but I opened my laptop and I saw the bullet go past the back of his head, because you definitely don’t see it in the frame before that, you definitely don’t see it in the frame after that. Just that frame. I was filming at 1/1800th of a second. I caught that streak behind him,” he said.
The photo shows a long white line behind President Trump’s head, showing the trajectory of the bullet used in the assassination attempt. Mills expressed disbelief at having witnessed and photographed such a moment. “I never thought I’d be there to witness and photograph an assassination attempt on the president,” he said.
Mills credits his extensive experience and intuition for capturing the decisive moment: “I’ve covered presidents for over 40 years, and I’ve always known which way they were coming on and coming off the stage. And the nearest stairs were to my right, so I ran over there and saw the president stand up. My immediate reaction was, ‘Oh my God! He’s alive!'”
Describing her initial reaction upon learning that Trump had survived the assassination attempt, Mills said, “Suddenly, he walked to the side of the stage and raised his fist in a defiant manner. I could see blood on his face, but that defiance disappeared in an instant. He looked very serious. He looked very pale.”
Mills reflected on the gravity of the incident, saying, “Two completely different moments happened in the space of just a few seconds. This is a moment unlike any other in my life, in history, in my job covering the White House since 1983. It’s so terrifying, I never thought anything like this would happen.”
The FBI identified the assassin as 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks, who fired several shots at the former president from a nearby rooftop before being shot dead by a Secret Service sniper. Witnesses claim he aimed his gun at the rally and moved from rooftop to rooftop, trying to warn security officials that he saw a man lying prone.
