Slippery Rock mayor recalls hearing shots at Trump rally
Slippery Rock Mayor Jondavid Longo spoke with former President Donald Trump just 15 minutes before the Republican presidential candidate took the stage Saturday, July 13, at the Butler Farm Show grounds, and just about a half-hour before shots rang out.
“He said he was watching the prerally from his helicopter,” Longo said. “He said, ‘You did good. I like what you said there.’” The remarks were a compliment on Longo’s speech that kicked off the rally.
Longo said Trump pointed at him during the rally right before he heard what sounded like snaps behind him — a noise he initially thought was some kind of firecracker before realizing it was bullets smacking into the ground.
The rest of the evening is a blur that Longo said he is still piecing together, with the help of photos and videos from the event. He said he immediately brought himself and his wife to the ground, and shouted to people around him to do the same. Hearing that the shots were coming from directly behind him, Longo said he assessed the situation from his position on the ground.
“We heard the rounds hitting around us, and then I knew for sure what it was,” Longo said Sunday. “My first immediate thought was, ‘Was somebody inside with a firearm?’ Once I realized there was nobody inside, I told everybody to get down.”
Longo, a military veteran, said his “training takes over” in situations such as the one Saturday, and he got back up to move around once he saw the Secret Service cover Trump and escort him from the venue. Once he arose, Longo saw the aftermath of the shooting — the victims who were hit by bullets in the crowd at the rally. He said he stuck around while the scene was being cleared to assist in any way he could.
Longo is shown in news footage helping carry a woman from the grounds, of which he said he has little memory.
