Republican presidential candidate and former U.S. President Donald Trump gestures during a news conference at Trump National Golf Club, in Rancho Palos Verdes, U.S., September 13, 2024.
David Swanson | Reuters
Former President Donald Trump unharmed Sunday and a suspect in custody, after shots were fired in what the Federal Bureau of Investigation said “appeared to be an attempted assassination” at his Florida golf course.
US Secret Service officers “opened fire on a gunman near the boundary” of Trump’s golf course in West Palm Beach, Florida, around 2:00 p.m. ET, Special Agent Rafael Barros said at a press conference on Sunday.
Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw said at the same press conference that Trump was golfing at the time and was about 300 to 500 yards away from the gunman.
The person arrested by the Secret Service is Ryan Wesley Rouththree senior law enforcement officials told NBC News.
Law enforcement officers stand guard after a shooting outside Republican presidential candidate and former U.S. President Donald Trump’s Trump International golf course in West Palm Beach, Florida, U.S. 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 rushed to safety upon hearing the gunshots, and his motorcade returned to his Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach shortly afterwards.
“There were gunshots fired near me, but before the rumors start spreading out of control, I want you to hear this first: I AM SAFE AND HEALTHY!” Trump’s presidential campaign wrote in a fundraising email shortly after the incident. “Nothing will slow me down. I will NEVER SURRENDER!”
After the shots rang out, Bradshaw said a witness at the scene told police they spotted “a guy running out of the bushes.”
Witnesses said they saw the man run away 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 containing ceramic tiles inside and a GoPro camera attached to a fence, Bradshaw said.
Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw holds a photo of a rifle and other items found near where the suspect was found during a press conference regarding the assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump on September 15, 2024 in West Palm Beach, Florida.
Joe Raedle | Getty Images
The witness took a photo of the license plate, which Bradshaw’s office used to track the car as it traveled north on Interstate 95.
Northbound lanes of the main East Coast route were closed following the shooting.
Bradshaw’s office notified the Martin County Sheriff’s Office, who then stopped the vehicle and arrested Routh.
“I would describe the suspect’s demeanor as fairly calm, unemotional,” Martin County Sheriff William Snyder told reporters. “He didn’t show much emotion, never asked, ‘What’s going on?'”
Snyder said Routh was unarmed when law enforcement officers stopped his car and removed him from it, though officers did not search his car. Snyder added that he hopes the FBI will get a search warrant for the car.
The FBI is now leading the investigation and has dedicated its “full resources” to investigating the assassination, Jeffrey Veltri, Special Agent in Charge of the Miami Field Office, said at a news conference.
Palm Beach County Sheriff PIO Teri Barber holds a photo of the rifle and other items found near where the suspect was found during a press conference regarding the assassination of former President Donald Trump on September 15, 2024 in West Palm Beach, Florida.
Joe Raedle | Getty Images
This appears to be the second assassination attempt on the Republican presidential nominee in just over two months. On July 13, Trump suffered minor injuries to his ear after a bullet grazed his ear during an assassination attempt. assassinate at a rally in Pennsylvania.
A source familiar with the matter told NBC News that the event will not change Trump’s schedule, which is scheduled to take place next week.
Chairperson Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris have been briefed on the situation and will 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 Florida compound, and I am glad he is safe,” Harris, the Democratic presidential nominee, wrote in a post. X posts“Violence has no place in America.”
Trump allies sent messages of support to the former president following the incident.
“I’m glad President Trump is safe. I spoke to him before the news broke and he was surprisingly cheerful,” Ohio Sen. JD VanceTrump’s running mate, agreed on X. “There’s still a lot we don’t know, but I’m going to hug my kids tonight and say a prayer of gratitude.”
A congressional task force created to investigate the July assassination attempt on Trump said it had asked the Secret Service to brief it on its response to the incident on Sunday.
“We are grateful that the former President was not injured, but remain deeply concerned about political violence and condemn it in all its forms,” task force chairman Rep. Mike Kelly (R-Pa.) and ranking member Rep. Jason Crow (D-Colo.) said in a joint statement.
