yeah, those are lightweight ceramic plates in a ballistic protection vest:

Ballistic Vest Parts

Ballistic protection vests consist of several key components designed to provide comprehensive protection. The core component is the outer tactical vest (OTV), which features a carrier shell with flexible ballistic panel inserts made from materials like Kevlar KM2 fiber, providing protection against handgun rounds.

These vests often include a PALS (Pouch Attachment Ladder System) webbing grid, allowing for the attachment of modular equipment such as pouches and tactical gear.

Additional protective elements can be added to enhance coverage, including removable throat protectors, groin protectors, and biceps or deltoid protectors.

For increased protection against rifle fire, rigid ballistic plates—such as Small Arms Protective Inserts (SAPI) or Enhanced SAPI (ESAPI) plates—are used; these are typically made from ceramic (like boron carbide) backed with materials like Spectra shield to stop high-velocity rounds.

The vest may also feature a large handle on the back for dragging a wounded person to safety.

Some systems incorporate side ballistic inserts (ESBIs) and a Deltoid and Axillary Protection System (DAPS) for protection of the upper arms and underarm areas.

The vest can be worn as a concealed vest with soft armor plates or as a full-body armor system with hard and soft plates, often integrated with a war belt for scalability.

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they are designed to prevent the most lethal types of impacts at body center mass, around the heart and lungs. these are a special type of springy elastic ceramic material, and the vest itself that they are inserted into is made of several layers of kevlar, and underneath, a layer of shock absorbing foam to spread the impact and reduce the chance of hydrostatic shock.

the bullet hit him in the area just above those panels. a shot at 200m is not difficult to get within about 2 inches for anyone with a modicum of training and practice in rifle shooting and a typical hunter scope. hitting someone in that area such that the bullet impacts the shoulderblade makes it very likely that the bullet will fragment and potentially rupture major blood vessels in the heart. note that the bullet hit his left side as well, which makes that even more likely.

anyone in his position would have probably considered it mandatory to wear a ballistic vest for exactly such a case. most major politicians have them under their suits also, and everyone on the security team. these vests also protect against knives as well, many police on duty, i have seen them on a lot of police involved in arrests wearing them as well, lightweight stab vests, which don't have ballistic panels

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