TLDR:
- Ryan Wesley Routh arrested for second assassination attempt on Trump
- Incident occurred at Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, Florida
- Secret Service agent spotted rifle barrel and opened fire on suspect
- Trump was 300-500 yards away, playing golf with donor Steve Witkoff
- Suspect had AK-47-style rifle, backpack, and Go-Pro camera
A second assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump occurred on Sunday, September 15, 2024, at Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, Florida.
The incident, which took place just two months after a previous attempt in Pennsylvania, has once again shaken the ongoing presidential campaign.
According to Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw, the incident unfolded while Trump was playing golf with Steve Witkoff, a friend and top donor.
A Secret Service agent, performing a security sweep several holes ahead, spotted a rifle barrel with a scope protruding from a fence and immediately opened fire on the suspect. At the time, Trump was approximately 300-500 yards away from the scene.
A witness observed a man fleeing the area and managed to capture a photograph of his vehicle, described as a black Nissan. Using this information, authorities tracked down the suspect on Interstate 95, where he was apprehended by the Martin County Sheriff’s Office.
The suspect, later identified as Ryan Wesley Routh, was reportedly “relatively calm” when detained, according to Martin County Sheriff William D. Snyder. “He was not displaying a lot of emotions. Never asked, ‘What is this about?'” Snyder told reporters.
At the scene of the incident, law enforcement recovered an AK-47-style rifle, a backpack, and a Go-Pro camera near a fence outside Trump’s golf club. The Secret Service confirmed that Trump was safe, and the FBI announced it is investigating the incident as an assassination attempt.
Sheriff Bradshaw explained that Trump’s security was more limited compared to that of a sitting president, but suggested it would be further enhanced following this incident.
“If he was [president], we would have had this entire golf course surrounded. But because he’s not, security is limited to the areas that the Secret Service deems possible,” Bradshaw stated during a press briefing.
The attempted assassination comes at a critical time in the presidential campaign, with less than two months remaining before Election Day. Recent polls show a tight race between Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris, who became the Democratic nominee after President Joe Biden ended his re-election bid following the first assassination attempt on Trump.
Trump’s campaign confirmed his safety, and the former president reportedly praised the Secret Service’s quick action during the incident. He was swiftly escorted back to the clubhouse in a golf cart following the shooting.
Ryan Wesley Routh, the 58-year-old suspect, is currently in police custody. Public records indicate that Routh has had at least 100 previous encounters with law enforcement.
He currently resides in Hawaii but spent most of his life in North Carolina, where he worked in construction and owned a company called United Roofing.
An examination of Routh’s social media accounts revealed that he frequently posted about Trump, the war in Ukraine, the 2020 election, and other world events.
His alleged X (formerly Twitter) account biography states, “I feel lucky to have been born in America, with freedom and opportunity and hope that I do not waste such a valuable thing; to do more and take less.”
President Joe Biden condemned the assassination attempt in a statement, emphasizing that there is “no place for political violence or for any violence ever in our country.” He commended the work of the Secret Service and law enforcement partners for their efforts to keep the former president safe.
