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Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) announced on Sunday that state law enforcement agencies will conduct an investigation into the second assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump’s life that took place at his golf course on Sunday near his Mar-a-Lago estate.
“The State of Florida will be conducting its own investigation regarding the attempted assassination at Trump International Golf Club. The people deserve the truth about the would be assassin and how he was able to get within 500 yards of the former president and current GOP nominee,” DeSantis wrote on the X platform.
Meanwhile, as Axios reported, the FBI is also investigating what it says “appears to be an attempted assassination” against the former president — the second since July 13 during a rally in Butler, Pa.
During a briefing on Sunday, Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw stated that former President Trump was approximately 300-500 yards away from the suspect when a Secret Service agent “engaged” with the individual, who was subsequently taken into custody. “Secret Service did exactly what they should have done, and their agent did a fantastic job,” he said during a press conference.
The State of Florida will be conducting its own investigation regarding the attempted assassination at Trump International Golf Club.
The people deserve the truth about the would be assassin and how he was able to get within 500 yards of the former president and current GOP…
— Ron DeSantis (@GovRonDeSantis) September 16, 2024
The suspect has been identified as Ryan Wesley Routh, 58, whose place of residence is listed as Hawaii. When he was arrested, authorities found an AK-47-style rifle with a scope, a Go Pro camera, and a backpack, according to various reports.
Routh, a North Carolina native, has a history of arrests for offenses including simple drug possession, driving without a license, expired inspection, and operating a vehicle without insurance. The Greensboro News & Record reported in 2002 that Routh was arrested after barricading himself in his roofing company’s office during a three-hour standoff. This incident followed a traffic stop where he had put his hand on a gun before fleeing, Fox News reported.
Records indicate that Routh relocated to Hawaii in 2017. There, he started a new construction company focused on building simple housing structures for homeless individuals, as noted on a LinkedIn profile that appears to belong to him.
“This does not appear to be some random guy with an AK-47 walking outside Trump’s club,” an official said after the incident Sunday afternoon.
A Secret Service agent noticed the would-be gunman while Trump was on the fifth hole of the golf course. Authorities report that the suspect left behind an AK-47, a GoPro camera, and two backpacks along a chain-link fence bordering the sixth hole.
Routh fled in an SUV after a Secret Service agent fired at him but was quickly apprehended by authorities, Fox noted.
Trump’s campaign promptly confirmed that the former president was safe, and Trump reassured supporters with a message declaring that he would “never surrender.”
“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!” he wrote in a message that was shared on social media.
“Nothing will slow me down. I will NEVER SURRENDER!” he continued. “I will always love you for supporting me. Unity. Peace. Make America Great Again. May God bless you.”
Radio talk show host and podcaster Dan Bongino, a former Secret Service agent, predicted another potential “incident” involving Trump earlier this month, strongly suggesting that its current state is worse than before the first assassination attempt.
After Congress’s inquiries into the assassination attempt, then-Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle resigned, and Ronald L. Rowe Jr. was appointed as interim director. But Bongino has repeatedly said on his show that Rowe is no better and that the upper echelons of the agency are either corrupt or incompetent.
Rep. Eli Crane, R-Ariz., asked Bongino during a Heritage Foundation forum earlier this month, “Is the Secret Service in a better spot today with Director Rowe in charge?”
“No, it’s worse,” Bongino responded, going on to predict that “something else” will happen, although he added, “I pray to my Lord and savior Jesus Christ that I’m wrong.” But, he noted further: “[If] you think this is the last incident, you’re out of your mind.”
