WEST PALM BEACH, Florida, Sept. 15, 2024 (Gephardt Daily) — Ex-President Donald Trump is safe and a suspect in custody after Secret Service agents opened fire on an armed man hiding in a wooded area Sunday afternoon at Trump International Golf Course in West Palm Beach.
According to a news conference conducted by members of the FBI, Secret Service, the Martin County Sheriff’s Office, and other Florida law enforcement officials, the incident took place while Trump was riding in an escorted golf cart 300 to 500 yards from the would-be assassin whose “AR-style” rifle, was spotted by a Secret Service agent protruding from a chain link fence.
Agents fired between four to six shots at the alleged suspect — identified by multiple sources, including CNN, as Ryan Wesley Routh, 58 — was seen running from the property. There are unconfirmed reports he was then photographed by a bystander while getting in a black Nissan SUV and that his license plate was quickly circulated by Florida law enforcement agencies.
A social media post by the Martin County Sheriff‘s Office stated the vehicle was stopped in the vicinity of northbound Interstate 95 at Florida State Route 714, about 44 miles north of the golf course, and that a suspect “believed to be connected to a shooting incident at Trump International in Palm Beach County” had been taken into custody.
After the incident, Trump was taken to the golf course clubhouse before returning by motorcade to his Mar-a-Lago resort. In a fundraising email sent to supporters a couple of hours after the incident, Trump assured supporters he was unharmed.
“There were gunshots in my vicinity, but before rumors start spiraling out of control, I wanted you to hear this first: I AM SAFE AND WELL!” the presidential candidate said in a fundraising email. “Nothing will slow me down. I will NEVER SURRENDER! I will always love you for supporting me.”
President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris were briefed on the alleged assassination attempt and expressed relief that Trump was safe, the White House said in a prepared statement.
Harris responded separately on social media, saying: “I have been briefed on reports of gunshots fired near former President Trump on his property in Florida and I am glad he is safe. Violence has no place in America.”
The assassination attempt, the second since mid-July, came less than a day after Trump made a campaign fundraising appearance in a private commercial airline hangar at Salt Lake International Airport.
Gephardt Daily will share more details on this developing story as additional information becomes available.
