Today former President Donald Trump was attacked again in 2 months, by a shooter at his golf course in West Palm Beach, Florida, which authorities are investigating as an apparent assassination attempt. The event unfolded when a man was spotted pointing a rifle toward the golf course while Trump was playing.
Details of the Incident
The suspect, identified as Ryan Wesley Routh, a 58-year-old man, was taken into custody following the incident. He was found with an AK-47-style assault rifle and other items at the scene.
Donald Trump said later he heard a popping sound of the bullets. The man hidden in the bushes around 400 to 500 yards away, was aiming for Mr. Trump and secret service agents immediately responded and they fired at him. The shooter immediately ran in his car but later he was arrested by the authorities at a short distance from a highway. The sheriff said that an assault-style rifle was found at the location along with 2 back packs.
Secret Service Response
Secret Service agents responded quickly, spotting the gunman and firing at him. Fortunately, Trump was unharmed during the event. The FBI is now involved, treating this as a serious threat against Trump, marking it as the second assassination attempt against him in just two months.
What authorities say:
In a media briefing later, Sheriff of Palm Beach County Ric Bradshaw said, “They have an agent that jumps 1 hole ahead of time to where the president was at and He was able to spot this rifle barrel sticking out of the fence and immediately engaged that individual, at which time the individual took off in the bushes where this guy was, is a AK47 style rifle with a scope, 2 backpacks which were hung on the fence that had a ceramic tile in them and a GoPro. ”
Donald Trump was attacked again in 2 months:
This is the second attempt at the former president’s life in near 2 months period. He was attacked at a Pennsylvania rally in July this year (2024) when a guy on the roof of a nearby building fired shots at him. He was grazed by a bullet near his right ear. In this unfortunate incident, another man in the public (a volunteer firefighter) was fired and lost his life. Two others were also injured. All this led to the situation where the head of the Secret Service had to resign after she was criticized for her negligence.
What the President and Vice President say:
President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris were briefed about the situation. They heaved a sigh of relief after learning that Trump was not harmed and is in good spirits. Kamala Harris, Democratic presidential nominee for the elections said, “I am glad he is safe. Violence has no place in America.”
Biden wrote that the suspect in the assassination attempt was placed in custody. Biden also added, “The suspect is in custody, and I commend the work of the Secret Service and their law enforcement partners for their vigilance and their efforts to keep the former President and those around him safe.”
Who attacked Trump?
Law enforcement officials said that the man apprehended was Ryan Wesley Routh. He is 58 years old and lived in North Carolina for all his life but moved to Hawaii, in 2018 where he and his son operated a company building sheds. He posted a lot of stuff about the war in Ukraine and is a sympathizer of Kyiv. He also operated a website where he appealed to people to contribute money so that he could go to Ukraine and join the fight against the Russian invasion.
However recently, in his posts, he is seen quite angry with Mr. Trump, and he is supporting President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris.
Conclusion
This alarming incident highlights ongoing security concerns surrounding Trump as he campaigns for the presidency again. Authorities are taking significant measures to ensure his safety following this event.