The split-second action that saved Donald Trump's life in assassination attempt

A split-second decision to turn his head saved Donald Trump’s life after an attempted assassination at one of his rallies.

The world was left shocked after news that the former US president had been targeted by a gunman at a rally and narrowly escaped death.

It occurred near Butler, Pennsylvania on Saturday (13 July), where Trump was hosting a rally for his supporters on the campaign trail ahead of the November presidential election.

During the incident, Trump turned his head slightly to the right, which experts say saved his life. The movement occurred right when Crooks shot, which resulted in the bullet skimming Trump’s ear rather than the alternative worst case scenario.

“Snipers are typically trained to shoot into the cerebral cortex of the cerebellum at the top of the brain stem. It incapacitates you, it keeps your hands from moving,” Israeli Special Operations veteran Aaron Cohen explained to Fox News.

He continued: “It’s very clear to me that had the [former] president’s head been straight, and if that round had gone into the ear, it would have been lights out. The fact that he just happened to be turned this way with that shot coming in is what saved his life.”

Eyewitness accounts claim a gunman was spotted crawling on top of a building before five shots rang out. Trump claimed a bullet pierced his ear and could be seen with blood on his face as he was whisked away by Secret Service agents.

The gunman, who was shot dead, was identified as 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks. One of the rally attendees was killed and two others were injured.

Sign up for our free indy100 weekly newsletter

How to join the indy100's free WhatsApp channel

Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings