Photo Appears to Capture Path of Bullet Used in Assassination Attempt

Michael Harrigan, a retired F.B.I. special agent, said the image captured by Doug Mills, a New York Times photographer, seems to show a bullet streaking past former President Donald J. Trump.

Donald Trump, in a red hat and a blue suit, speaks at a lectern. A red oval is drawn around what appears to be a bullet’s path.

An annotated photo showing what appears to be a projectile passing by Donald J. Trump during a rally in Butler, Pa., on Saturday.Credit...Doug Mills/The New York Times

John Ismay, NYTS, Washington, July 14, 2024 : In documenting the Pennsylvania campaign rally on Saturday afternoon that turned into an attempt on a former president’s life, Doug Mills, a veteran New York Times photographer, appeared to capture the image of a bullet streaking past former President Donald J. Trump’s head.

That is the assessment of Michael Harrigan, a retired F.B.I. special agent who spent 22 years in the bureau.

“It absolutely could be showing the displacement of air due to a projectile,” Mr. Harrigan said in an interview on Saturday night after reviewing the high-resolution images that Mr. Mills filed from the rally. “The angle seems a bit low to have passed through his ear, but not impossible if the gunman fired multiple rounds.”

Simple ballistic math showed that capturing a bullet as Mr. Mills likely did in a photo was possible, Mr. Harrigan said.

Mr. Mills was using a Sony digital camera capable of capturing images at up to 30 frames per second. He took these photos with a shutter speed of 1/8,000th of a second — extremely fast by industry standards.

A series of three images shows a man reacting to something and holding his hand up to his head.

A composite image showing what appears to be a bullet passing by Donald J. Trump during a rally in Butler, Pa., on Saturday.Credit...Doug Mills/The New York Times

The other factor is the speed of the bullet from the firearm. On Saturday law enforcement authorities recovered an AR-15-type semiautomatic rifle at the scene from a deceased white man they believe was the gunman.

“If the gunman was firing an AR-15-style rifle, the .223-caliber or 5.56-millimeter bullets they use travel at roughly 3,200 feet per second when they leave the weapon’s muzzle,’’ Mr. Harrigan said. “And with a 1/8,000th of a second shutter speed, this would allow the bullet to travel approximately four-tenths of a foot while the shutter is open.”

“Most cameras used to capture images of bullets in flight are using extremely high speed specialty cameras not normally utilized 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 said.

In Mr. Harrigan’s last assignment, he led the bureau’s firearms training unit and currently works as a consultant in the firearms industry.

“Given the circumstances, if that’s not showing the bullet’s path through the air, I don’t know what else it would be,” he said.

What we know about the victims so far.

The Trump rally shooting that sent shock waves across the nation killed a father of two and critically wounded two other men on Saturday evening.

The victims, all adult men, include a longtime volunteer firefighter and a U.S. Marine Corps veteran. All were from the Pittsburgh area, according to the Pennsylvania State Police. One died at the scene, while the two critically wounded victims were transported to Allegheny General Hospital in Pittsburgh and were in critical but stable condition, officials said.

As more details began to emerge on Sunday, tributes and prayers for the victims and their families were pouring in, including from officials such as Mayor Ed Gainey of Pittsburgh, and Gov. Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania.

Here’s what we know so far about the victims.

Corey Comperatore

Corey Comperatore, 50, was fatally shot in the head after he dove to cover family members who accompanied him to the rally, according to the governor.

Governor Shapiro said on Sunday that Mr. Comperatore “died a hero.” He added, “Corey was the very best of us.”

Mr. Comperatore was a father of two from Sarver, Pa., who worked at a plastic manufacturing company and loved fishing. He spent several years as a volunteer firefighter, at one point serving as the chief of the Buffalo Township Volunteer Fire Company. He attended nearby Cabot Church, where he was selected as a future trustee in 2021, helping oversee issues like church property and insurance.

In interviews, friends and neighbors described him as a “good man,” dedicated to his wife and two daughters and to his service as a firefighter.

Kip Johnston, the current chief of the fire company, said Mr. Comperatore was his chief for about three years. “He was a great leader,” he said. “You couldn’t meet a more humble guy.”

A neighbor, Matt Achilles, recalled when Mr. Comperatore asked if Mr. Achilles knew of anyone in need so he could donate a Christmas ham. He gave one to a single mother with five children.

David Dutch

David Dutch, 57, from New Kensington, Pa., has been working at Siemens for decades, according to Jennifer Veri-Grazier, his sister. He was once a member of the Marine Corps.

Mr. Dutch has been a longtime Trump supporter, along with other members of his family, Ms. Veri-Grazier said. She saw a picture of her brother before he headed out on Saturday, wearing a flag dress shirt and sunglasses. He seemed “ecstatic,” she said.

Now, he is hospitalized with damage to his liver and broken ribs, and awaiting another surgery, she said.

“He was exercising his rights and went to the rally, and he didn’t deserve any of this,” Ms. Veri-Grazier said.

James Copenhaver & David Dutch

Mr. Copenhaver, 74, is from Moon Township, Pa. Records showed that he was registered as a Democrat. He is married with at least one son and plays in a band, according to his friends.

Larry Wheeler, who went to high school with Mr. Copenhaver, said that just last week they talked about Mr. Trump — though he didn’t know that Mr. Copenhaver would be going to the rally.

Albert Quaye, a supervisor in Moon Township, said he first met Mr. Copenhaver a few years ago at a local board of supervisors meeting, which Mr. Copenhaver attended to share concerns about a development project near his home. He seemed to catch the local politics bug then and kept returning to meetings, Mr. Quaye said. “He would be there sometimes with us through late-night meetings,” he said.

Mr. Copenhaver was retired, according to Mr. Quaye. A LinkedIn page that appeared to belong to Mr. Copenhaver indicated that he used to work at the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board.

Mr. Quaye didn’t have more details on Mr. Copenhaver’s condition, but said he was optimistic about his prognosis. “Jim’s a healthy 74,” he said.