Republican presidential candidate and former US President Donald Trump gestures during a news conference at the Trump National Golf Club in Rancho Palos Verdes, US, September 13, 2024.
David Swanson | Reuters
Former President Donald Trump was unharmed Sunday and a suspect was in custody after shots were fired in what the Federal Bureau of Investigation said “appears to be an attempted assassination” on his Florida golf course.
US Secret Service officers “opened fire on a gunman who was located near the property line” of Trump’s golf course in West Palm Beach, Florida, shortly before 2:00 p.m. ET, Special Agent Rafael Barros said in a statement. press conference on Sunday.
Trump was playing the course at the time and within 300 to 500 yards of the gunman, Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw said at the same news conference.
The person in custody who was shot by the Secret Service is Ryan Wesley Routh, three senior law enforcement officials told NBC News.
Law enforcement officers stand behind reports of a shooting outside the Trump Golf Course of Republican presidential candidate and former US President Donald Trump in West Palm Beach, Florida, US, September 15, 2024.
Marco Bello Reuters
Officials have not yet confirmed where he was aiming, or whether he fired any shots.
The former president was immediately whisked away to safety when the shots rang out, and his motorcade returned to his Palm Beach resort home, Mar-a-Lago, shortly after.
“There was gunfire nearby, but before the rumors get out of hand, I wanted you to hear this first: I AM SAFE AND FINE!” Trump’s presidential campaign wrote in a fundraising email shortly after the incident. “Nothing will slow me down. I will never give up!”
After the shooting, Bradshaw said a witness at the scene told officials they saw a “guy coming out of the bushes.”
The witness said they saw the man flee and jump into a black Nissan, Bradshaw added.
Law enforcement officials later found an AK-47-style rifle with a scope in the bushes, along with two backpacks with ceramic tiles inside and a GoPro camera strapped to the fence, Bradshaw said.
Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw holds a photo of a rifle and other items found near the scene of a suspect’s discovery during a news conference regarding an apparent assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump on September 15, 2024. in West Palm Beach, Florida.
Joe Raedle | Getty Images
The witness took a picture of the license plate, which Bradshaw’s office used to track the car as it headed north on Interstate-95.
Northbound lanes of the East Coast’s main traffic artery were closed after shots were fired.
Bradshaw’s office notified the Martin County Sheriff’s Office, which then pulled the vehicle over and stopped Routh.
“I would describe the suspect’s demeanor as a relatively calm and level-headed affect,” Martin County Sheriff William Snyder told reporters. “He wasn’t showing much emotion, he never asked, ‘What’s this about?’
Snyder said Routh was not armed when law enforcement officials stopped his car and removed him from the vehicle, although officials did not search his car. Snyder added that he expects the FBI to obtain a search warrant for the car.
The FBI is now leading the investigation and has devoted its “full resources” to the investigation into the apparent attempted murder, Jeffrey Veltri, special agent in charge of the Miami field office, said at the press conference.
Palm Beach County Sheriff PIO Teri Barber holds a photo of the rifle and other items found near the scene of a suspect’s discovery during a press conference regarding an apparent assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump on September 15, 2024 , in West Palm Beach, Florida.
Joe Raedle | Getty Images
It appeared to be the second assassination attempt on the Republican presidential nominee in just over two months. On July 13, Trump suffered a minor ear injury after a bullet grazed his ear during an assassination attempt at a rally in Pennsylvania.
This event will not change Trump’s scheduled schedule for next week, a source familiar with the matter told NBC News.
President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris were briefed on the situation and would receive regular updates, the White House said in a statement.
“I have been made aware of reports of gunfire near former President Trump and his property in Florida, and I am glad he is safe,” Harris, the Democratic presidential candidate, wrote in a post X. “Violence does not there is a place in America”.
Trump’s allies sent messages of support for the former president in response to the incident.
“I’m glad President Trump is safe. I spoke with him before the news broke and he was, surprisingly, in good spirits,” echoed Ohio Sen. JD Vance, Trump’s running mate, on X. ” We still do it a lot.” I don’t know, but because I’m going to give my kids a big hug tonight and say a prayer of thanks.”
A congressional task force set up to investigate the attempted assassination of Trump in July said it had requested a briefing from the Secret Service on the agency’s response to the incident on Sunday.
“We are grateful that the former president was not harmed, but we remain deeply concerned about political violence and condemn it in all its forms,” task force chair Rep. Mike Kelly, R-Pa., and ranking member Rep. Jason Crow. D-Colo., said in a joint statement.