Gunman Got Within 500 Yards of Trump in Second Assassination Attempt

The alleged gunman behind Donald Trump’s second apparent assassination attempt, Ryan Wesley Routh, got within 500 yards of the former president, according to the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office.
Trump, the GOP’s presidential nominee, is “safe” and no injuries were reported after shots were fired at the Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, Florida, on Sunday. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) told Newsweek in an email on Sunday evening that it is investigating the shooting, which occurred around 1:30 p.m. EST, as an “attempted assassination.”
Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw told reporters at a press briefing Sunday afternoon that a Secret Service agent had spotted the gunman with a rifle sticking out of a bush-lined fence at the golf course. The agent then “engaged” with the suspect, who then fled the scene in a vehicle. The shooter got within 300 to 500 yards of Trump, Bradshaw said. The suspect was later taken into custody in a neighboring county.
Secret Service Special Agent Rafael Barros, who is in charge of the Miami Field Office, thanked the bureau’s law enforcement partners in a statement to Newsweek on Sunday, including the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office and the Martin County Sheriff’s Office.
“Former President Donald Trump is safe and unharmed following a protective incident shortly before 2 p.m. Sunday at Trump International Golf Club at West Palm Beach,” Barros added. “Secret Service personnel opened fire on a gunman located near the property line and this matter is under investigation.”
Sunday’s shooting comes just nine weeks after the former president was the target of an attempted assassination during a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on July 13. That suspect, who shot at Trump from a nearby rooftop, was less than 164 yards from where the former president was speaking.
The 20-year-old gunman, Thomas Matthew Crooks, was killed by a Secret Service counter-sniper after firing off several rounds. Trump’s right ear was pierced in the gunfire, and three other rally attendees were struck. One victim, 50-year-old former firefighter Corey Comperatore, was killed.
Trump spokesperson Steven Chueng told Newsweek in a statement on Sunday that the former president “is safe following gunshots in his vicinity.” Trump also said in a statement, “I AM SAFE AND WELL! Nothing will slow me down. I will NEVER SURRENDER! I will always love you for supporting me. Unity. Peace. Make America Great Again.”
The White House said that President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic presidential nominee, were briefed on the shooting and that both were “relieved” to know that the former president is safe.
“Violence has no place in America,” Harris added in a post to X, formerly Twitter.
Update 09/15/24, 6:29 p.m. ET: This story has been updated with additional information and background.