[News Figures] "Recognized the Gunshots Immediately" Pulitzer Prize Winner Who Captured Historic Photo Shaking the US Presidential Election

AP Veteran Photojournalist Evan Bucci Captures Trump Shooting Scene on 13th
Shot from Under the Podium... "Situation Unfolded Quickly"

"The moment I heard the gunshots, I immediately realized that a historic moment in American history was unfolding that needed to be documented."

On the 13th (local time) at 6:15 PM, a shooting occurred at a campaign rally in Pennsylvania targeting former U.S. President and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump. Amid screams, Trump, who had taken cover below the stage with blood streaming from his right ear, stood up. Despite being escorted by security guards, he looked firmly at his supporters and raised his fist toward the sky. The classic pyramid-shaped triangular composition, looking up from below, with Trump’s resolute and determined expression and the American flag fluttering behind him, left a strong impression not only on American voters but also on people worldwide.

On the 13th (local time), former President Donald Trump, who was shot during a campaign event in Pennsylvania, USA, raised his fist before stepping down from the stage under the escort of security personnel. The photo was taken by Evan Vucci, an AP news photographer and 2021 Pulitzer Prize winner. [Image source=AP Yonhap News]

This photo was hailed as a "legendary American photograph" and "a photo that will change American history." Evan Vucci, the Pulitzer Prize-winning AP photographer who captured this moment, has also drawn global attention. Amidst the overwhelming praise, he calmly posted the photo on his social media, explaining, "Republican presidential candidate former President Trump is raising his fist as he steps down from the stage after being shot during a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania."

The next day, on the 14th, AP released a video in which Vucci described the situation at the time of the incident. He said he was positioned below Trump’s podium and, upon hearing gunshots from behind his left shoulder, immediately looked toward the stage and saw security rushing in. He raised his camera and captured the scene. At the moment the incident occurred, he did not realize that Trump was bleeding from his right ear, and he reflected that everything happened very quickly until Trump was moved to a prepared vehicle.

Photo by Evan Vucci, who won the Pulitzer Prize in 2021. This photo captures a protest in Washington DC against the death of George Floyd, a Black man, due to excessive force by white police officers. (Photo source=Pulitzer Prize official website)

AP photographer Evan Butcher is posing in front of the White House. (Photo by Rochester University website)

Vucci is a veteran photojournalist who has worked at AP since 2003. He currently covers U.S. politics. He won the Pulitzer Prize in 2021 for photographs capturing protests in Washington DC against the death of Black man George Floyd due to excessive force by white police officers. These photos are considered iconic representations of the nationwide Black Lives Matter (BLM) protests that erupted after Floyd’s death in Minnesota in May 2020. Previously, Vucci also gained attention for photographing the "shoe-throwing" incident in Baghdad in 2008, when an Iraqi journalist threw a shoe at then U.S. President George W. Bush.

Originally, Vucci was a student interested in commercial photography. He enrolled at Rochester Institute of Technology in 1995, intending to pursue commercial photography, but after attending a lecture by Michael Williamson, another Pulitzer Prize-winning American photojournalist, he became captivated by photojournalism. Vucci was reportedly inspired by Williamson’s stories of working at The Washington Post and traveling the world, which changed his life path. After graduating in 2000, Vucci immediately began working as a photojournalist. He is known to spend his leisure time training in mixed martial arts and participating in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu tournaments.