The dramatic visuals and video clips of the incident were shared widely across media platforms, but none stood out more than Mills’ image of the bullet mid-flight.
“All I could see was them, and [they’re] holding their guns and guns are out everywhere and everybody’s yelling, ‘Get down, get down, get down! Active shooter, active shooter!’” Mills recalled.
“I probably did not do the smartest thing by running right at it, but that’s what [photojournalists do].”
Mills captured the photos using a Sony a1 camera and was located just below Trump’s stage, shooting with a wide-angle lens when gunfire erupted.
A 40-Year Career
This Pulitzer is Mills’ second Pulitzer Prize. He first won in 1993 for team coverage of the Clinton/Gore campaign and later received honors for investigative reporting during the Monica Lewinsky affair.
His commitment to covering presidential politics spans four decades, earning him multiple awards.
- Pulitzer Prize (1993, 2024)
- Award for Excellence in Presidential News Coverage (2020, 2023)
- Covered: World Series, Super Bowl, 16 Olympic Games
“Then, when I heard the pops, I guess I kept hitting on the shutter, and then I saw him reach for his [ear]. He grimaced and grabbed his hand and looked. It was blood, and then he went down, and I thought, ‘Dear God, he’s been shot,'” Mills recounted during an interview with America’s Newsroom.
