How many stayed calm: The unexpected at the rally
“No weapons formed against us will prosper,” Nicole Richards, on the ground and shielded by her father, said those words to her son as the first rounds of gunfire went off during then candidate President Donald Trump’s campaign rally on July 13, 2024.
Richards, from Slippery Rock, said she’s a Christian and believes the prayers from her and others were felt on the Butler Farm Show grounds, where the rally was taking place. In the face of the violence surrounding the crowd, there was peace on the field that Richards said she could not explain.
“It’s definitely the opposite of what you would have expected a scene like that to look like,” Richards said. “Everybody was making sure everybody else was OK that day. At one point, nobody moved.”
Caught in the middle of a shooting that left two rally-goers seriously wounded and one dead, most of the throng avoided panic, Richards said. That was despite uncertainty of where the shots were coming from and inadequate mobility due to the densely packed crowd.
“There were not people pushing and shoving, which you would think would happen in a situation where there were gunshots,” said Debbie Lightner, an attendee from Sarver. “Even the traffic leaving that day, everybody waited their turn. Everybody who was inside the perimeter was on the same page.”
Angela Cicerchi, an attendee from New Castle, had a broken foot at the time and was walking with the support of a rollator walker. Cicerchi said she could not run even if she wanted to. In such a difficult situation, Cicerchi and her sister-in-law helped each other move along with others, who followed instructions and dispersed respectfully.
“We all stayed calm,” Circerchi said.
There were no stampedes and attendees remained down to the ground as per instructions from the U.S. Secret Service until they were cleared to leave, Cicerchi said.
The national news got it wrong, Kim Otto, from Harmony, said. Much of the coverage implied that rally-goers had reacted in frenzy and hurried away in haste, she said.
“We did not run,” Otto said. “As we were walking out, we were making sure each and every one of us was OK.”
Due to the potential of a second shooter, the crowd had to wait to be cleared. During this time, despite the fear of another gunman, nobody lost composure.
“Everyone left in a very organized manner,” said Brian McLaughlin, an attendee from Butler.
Otto said that how the attendees dealt with the shooting reflects on Butler County’s community at large.
“I’m very proud of Butler County,” Otto said.
