The photo is quite the sight to see. Captured by a New York Times photographer, it shows what looks like a bullet whizzing past the head of former President Donald Trump.
So, what do we know about the weapon used in the attack, the damage it can cause, and just how close Donald Trump came to a tragic end?
Authorities say an AR-15 was found at the scene. Often referred to as “America’s Rifle”, it has been linked to numerous mass shootings.
Typically firing a 5.56mm round, the Nato standard, the AR-15 has the capability to be lethal at that distance, as seen by the unfortunate casualty in the crowd.
According to Justin Crump from security analysts Sibylline, for assault rifles to inflict maximum harm, “the energy in the round has to dissipate, which requires a hard stop”.
It’s not just the physical impact of the bullet, but the transfer of energy that makes assault rifles so destructive.
The fact that the bullet only grazed his ear meant that the deadly energy within the round did not transfer.
Nevertheless, Crump suggests there may still be repercussions. “The shockwave past the eardrum won’t have been pleasant and it could leave an interesting scar,” he notes.
If the bullet had been just slightly off target, or if Trump’s head had been positioned differently, all that kinetic energy would have hit him with catastrophic results.
In essence, Trump narrowly escaped death by mere inches.