Republican presidential candidate and former President Donald Trump arrived at Harry Reid International Airport to board a flight after a campaign rally in Las Vegas on Saturday.
Alex Brandon/AP
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Alex Brandon/AP
Former President Donald Trump is uninjured after being shot while playing golf at a golf course in West Palm Beach, Florida, on Sunday afternoon.
The suspect, identified by local authorities as Ryan Wesley Routh, is in custody.
The FBI said it was investigating the shooting as an assassination attempt, marking the second time a gunman has targeted President Trump in just two months.
In July, the Republican presidential candidate was wounded in a shooting at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.
Palm Beach County Sheriff Rick Bradshaw said at a press conference on Sunday that the Secret Service notified local authorities that multiple gunshots had been heard on the course around 1:30 p.m. ET.
Bradshaw said a Secret Service agent stationed one hole before Trump’s spotted an AK-type rifle protruding from a golf course fence. The agent “immediately opened fire” on the individual with the rifle, at which point the gunman fled in a black Nissan. A Secret Service spokesman said agents fired their guns at the gunman.
Bradshaw said the suspect was about 300 to 500 yards away from Trump. “That’s not that far with a rifle and a scope,” he said. The suspect left behind two briefcases and a GoPro camera, he added.
Bradshaw said a witness was able to provide authorities with the model and license plate of the suspect’s vehicle. Officers later found Routh on Interstate 95.
Martin County Sheriff William D. Snyder said: WPL Snyder said the suspect was “relatively calm” when he was taken into custody, adding: “He didn’t show much emotion. He didn’t ask, ‘What is this about?'”
Trump: ‘Safe and healthy’
“Gunshots were heard near me, but before rumors spread and get out of control, I want you to hear this first: I am safe and well!” Trump wrote in an email sent by his campaign.
Sen. J.D. Vance of Ohio, Trump’s running mate, said he spoke with Trump after the shooting. “I’m glad President Trump is safe. I spoke with him before the news was made public and he seemed in surprisingly good spirits,” he wrote. X.
Local authorities said that had the president been a sitting president, the entire golf course would have been surrounded, but the presidential candidate was accompanied by only a few Secret Service agents, and the thick brush surrounding the course made it difficult to spot.
“The threat level is high,” Special Agent in Charge Rafael Barros of the Miami field office told reporters, adding that “we have increased the amount of assets we have.” He added: “We live in dangerous times.”
The White House said President Biden and Vice President Harris were also briefed on the security incident at the Trump International Golf Course.
“They are relieved to know he is safe and will receive regular updates from his team,” the statement said. Attorney General Merrick Garland has also been briefed and is monitoring the situation, his office said.
The Secret Service also briefed Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer about the incident, who praised the Secret Service for its swift response.
“Political violence of any kind has no place in this country, and perpetrators must be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law,” he said in a statement.
