A Pennsylvania mayor was sitting in the front row, only feet away from former president Donald Trump, the moment a gunman opened fire during a rally on Saturday and details what it was like being so close to the assassination attempt.
Jondavid Longo, the mayor of Slippery Rock, told Fox News Digital that he and his family had been looking forward to the rally and traveled over to Butler in the morning for the event.
He said Slippery Rock is about 30 miles from Butler.
Longo says he was fortunate enough to hear from Trump on Halloween night in 2020 and was even more excited about Saturday’s rally as he was invited to deliver a few remarks and lead the Pledge of Allegiance before Trump took the stage.
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“And just what I thought was going to be a special day, 15 minutes later, the day took a complete 180, when a maniac decided to open fire on President Trump and into the rally at President Trump’s attendees,” Longo said.
Longo said he was seated in the front row, to the right of Trump, less than 15 feet away, seated next to several other politicians when the gun fire started.
“We heard the first shot, crack, and impact. Having been in the Marine Corps going to Afghanistan as an infantry rifleman, I know what the gunfire sounds like, but I don’t think anyone in that crowd thought that it could have been possible that was gunfire coming in,” Longo explained.
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“My first thought was, ‘gosh, is that a firecracker? I hope it is.’ Unfortunately, the second, third, and fourth round started to fly and it became obvious to us that it was gunfire. It was especially obvious to us when I saw President Trump grab his ear, his right ear, and I was watching this from his right profile side,” Longo continued.
Longo said he then verified with the other politicians he was sitting with that they also heard the gunfire and saw what was transpiring in front of them. They were then able to alert the surrounding crowd to get down, stay low, stay calm, and stay out of the way so that law enforcement professionals, especially the Secret Service, could engage the threat, he said.
Longo added that they weren’t sure right away where the gunfire was coming from, but figured out relatively quickly that the shots were coming from an outside venue directly behind them.
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“We were living in that moment and my thoughts were with my wife, especially who’s expecting, wanting to protect her, my family, my friends, and my immediate vicinity, but then our attention turned to individuals who needed help,” Longo said.
Longo said he witnessed so many people step in to help and do good, and shared how Trump’s reaction to the scene made him feel at that moment.
“I tell you what, it continues to stick up [in] my mind too is the moment President Trump stood up and wrangled his hand from the huddle of the Secret Service members who had pounced on him to protect him, he raised his fist in triumphant defiance. In that moment, that was a moment of steadfast leadership that, I think, offered everybody there a slight reprieve from the horror that everyone had faced together in that moment,” Longo said.
“It was a message to us, it was safe. You know, hopefully, that there was going to be hope in the near future. It was a message that we’re going to continue on with this mission, and we’re going to see it through to the end,” Longo continued.
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Longo said while he was thankful that he and others were able to help those in the crowd, it doesn’t take away the immense loss of life of volunteer firefighter Corey Comperatore, who lost his life while shielding his wife and daughters from the gunfire.
“I just want to bring it back to Fire Chief Corey Comperatore. The fact is that he didn’t get to go home that night because he came to hear the message of hope and inspiration from President Trump. That was stolen from him, and he was stolen from his family. So once more, I want to offer my condolences to to their family. And I hope they understand that the world is with them right now,” Longo said.
