Assassinations and Attempts That Rocked the U.S.: From Donald Trump to Charlie Kirk and More

Abraham Lincoln died on April 15, 1865, just a few hours after stage actor John Wilkes Booth shot him in the back of his head while at Ford's Theatre the previous evening. The suspect and his fellow conspirators — all supporters of the Confederacy — planned to kill other government leaders but only wounded Secretary of State William Seward.

12 days later, on April 26, 1865, Booth was shot in a barn near Bowling Green, Va., and died after sustaining a gunshot wound to the neck.

Barack Obama faced several assassination attempts while he was in office, including the November 2011 incident involving Oscar Ramiro Ortega-Hernandez. The shooter, who was 21 at the time, was charged with attempted assassination after firing shots at the White House.

Right-wing political activist Charlie Kirk was shot and killed during an event at Utah Valley University on September 10. He was 31.

Donald Trump confirmed his supporter's death on Truth Social, which read, "The Great, and even Legendary, Charlie Kirk, is dead. No one understood or had the Heart of the Youth in the United States of America better than Charlie. He was loved and admired by ALL, especially me, and now, he is no longer with us. Melania and my Sympathies go out to his beautiful wife Erika, and family. Charlie, we love you!"

During an appearance on Fox & Friends, the POTUS confirmed they had the suspect, 22-year-old Tyler Robinson, in custody.

"Somebody who was very close to him turned him in," he added.

Late South Carolina State Senator Clementa C. Pinckney was killed alongside eight other individuals during a racially-motivated assassination at a Charleston church in June 2015. The shooter, identified as 21-year-old white supremacist Dylann Roof, was arrested after the incident.

"In America we don't let people like this get away with this dastardly deed," then-Charleston Mayor Joseph Riley said in a statement.

Trump was holding a rally in Butler, Penn., on July 13, 2024, when 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks, opened fire and injured the then-presidential candidate. As Secret Service agents rushed to cover Trump, who sustained an upper-ear injury but was otherwise unharmed.

Five more shots were heard before multiple agents confirmed the shooter was "down." Authorities later confirmed Crooks was armed with a semi-automatic AR-15 rifle.

Trump was rushed to the area's nearest hospital, Butler Memorial Hospital, to get his injury treated.

"The Secret Service has implemented protective measures and the former President is safe. This is now an active Secret Service investigation and further information will be released when available," Secret Service Chief of Communications Anthony Guglielmi said in a statement a few minutes after the incident.

The shooting left one attendee dead and two more people — aside from Trump — injured.

On July 2, 1881, James Garfield was shot in the back by Charles J. Guiteau at a train station in Washington, D.C. His doctors were unable to remove the bullet from his pancreas, leading to his death due to blood poisoning and complications on September 19, 1881.

John F. Kennedy died in Dallas on November 22, 1963, after Lee Harvey Oswald opened fire while the then-president's open-topped limousine passed the Texas School Book Depository.

Two days later, Oswald was killed by nightclub owner Jack Ruby while being transferred from police headquarters to the county jail.

Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, were killed in what appears to be a "politically-motivated assassination" on June 14.

"Vance Boelter planned and carried out a night of terror that shook Minnesota to its core," Acting U.S. Attorney Joseph H. Thompson said of the suspect. "He carried out targeted political assassinations the likes of which have never been seen in Minnesota. We grieve with the Hortman family and continue to pray for the recovery of the Hoffmans. Today, a grand jury indicted Boelter with the most serious of federal charges for these heinous political assassinations. Let me be clear: Boelter will see justice."

Following a two-day manhunt, Boelter was arrested and charged with stalking and murdering Hortman and her husband. The suspect was also cited for stalking and shooting Minnesota State Senator John Hoffman and his wife.

Then-presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy was fatally shot at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles on June 5, 1968, nearly five years after his brother was assassinated. He was pronounced dead the following day.

Ronald Reagan also became a victim of an assassination attempt. On March 30, 1981, the then-president was shot after giving a speech at the Washington Hilton Hotel in Washington, D.C. He was rushed to George Washington University Hospital, where he was operated on to remove the bullet that entered under his left armpit and hit the seventh rib.

Two of Reagan's aides also sustained gunshot wounds.

The mentally ill gunman, John Hinckley, was acquitted of the assassination charges for reasons of insanity. He spent decades in a mental institution but was released from court supervision in 2022.

While campaigning in Milwaukee during his reelection run in 1912, Theodore Roosevelt was shot by John Schrank from close range. The bullet passed through a copy of his 50-page speech and a metal spectacles case before hitting his chest.

Despite the incident, Roosevelt pushed through in addressing the crowd before seeking medical attention.

On September 6, 1901, William McKinley sustained two gunshot wounds in the chest when Leon Czolgosz shot him at the Pan-American Exposition. He underwent surgery and seemingly began recovering from the incident.

However, on September 14, 1901, McKinley died from gangrene. Czolgosz was executed by electrocution on October 29, 1901.