Pittsylvania County man recalls hearing gunshots at Trump rally

PITTSYLVANIA COUNTY, Va. (WDBJ) - The shooting that occurred at former President Donald Trump’s rally in Pennsylvania Saturday still plays over in Gary Ellis’s head.

“We sat there, trying to calm the crowd down and get them to slow down so people didn’t get hurt running out,” said Ellis, Pittsylvania County resident.

Although he lives in Ringgold, Ellis travels out of state to rallies as a vendor to sell his Donald Trump jewelry. However, he quickly noticed something was off at the Pennsylvania rally when he says he saw a man walking around with a backpack and suitcase.

“He stood out like a sore thumb. I went up and down, trying to find security, but I couldn’t find anybody. Then, I had people looking at our merchandise and stuff, and I had to go tend to them,” added Ellis.

He then experienced the unthinkable, when he heard the gunshots from his vendor tent.

“We all heard what sounded like firecrackers and, come to find out, it was shooting going on and people started rushing out. People were screaming, crying, saying the president had been shot. They had no idea what was going on,” said Ellis.

Ellis says he saw fewer security officers at this event compared to the other two he attended this year.

“It just kills me inside to know somebody lost their life. I believe in owning rifles and stuff. I do believe everybody has the right to own and carry, but they’ve got to do something better and not allow something like this to get into events,” said Ellis.

He hopes there will be increased security at future rallies.

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