Donald Trump was safe after gunshots were reported in his vicinity Sunday afternoon in Florida, his campaign and the Secret Service said. It was not immediately clear whether the reported shots were targeted at the Republican presidential nominee. The U.S. Secret Service said it was investigating and that the incident occurred shortly before 2 p.m. “The former president is safe,” according to the Secret Service. Roughly two months ago, Trump was shot during an assassination attempt at a rally in Pennsylvania, and a bullet grazed his ear.

Trump had returned to Florida this weekend from a West Coast swing that included a Friday night rally in Las Vegas and a Utah fundraiser. The campaign did not immediately provide any additional details. No injuries were reported, according to a spokesperson for the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office in Florida. The White House said President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic presidential nominee, had both been briefed and would be kept updated on the investigation. The White House added they were “relieved” to know Trump is safe.

A law enforcement official who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss an ongoing investigation said officials were trying to determine whether the shots were fired near Trump’s West Palm Beach golf course or on the grounds. The official was not authorized to speak publicly and spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity. In an X post, Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C, one of Trump’s top congressional allies, said he had spoken with Trump after the incident and that Trump was in “good spirits” and was “one of the strongest people I’ve ever known.

Trump often spends the morning playing golf, before having lunch at the Trump International Golf Club West Palm Beach, one of three he owns in the state. Trump has had a stepped-up security footprint since the assassination attempt in July. When he has been at Trump Tower in New York, a lineup of dump trucks have parked in a wall outside the building. And at outdoor rallies, he now speaks from behind an enclosure of bulletproof glass. A message sent to campaign officials seeking information on the security status and location of Ohio Sen. JD Vance, Trump’s running mate, was not immediately returned.

Max Egusquiza, of Palm Beach, described the emergency response outside Trump’s West Palm Beach golf course. “From what I saw 5 black unmarked SUVs blocked in a grey Mercedes in front of the golf course. There were about 20 or more cop cars flying from nearby streets,” he said.

The Secret Service fired shots at a suspect who was seen with a weapon near former President Donald Trump's golf course near West Palm Beach, Florida, on Sunday, a senior law enforcement official told ABC News. A spokesperson for Donald Trump's campaign says the former president is safe. A suspect was seen on or near the course that Trump is known to use, the law enforcement source said. Secret Service the suspect appeared to be aiming the weapon and that they fired shots. The suspect fled the scene but was later captured and the gun was recovered, the official said.

Sheriff Will Snyder of neighboring Martin County told ABC News that his units detained a man following the incident. Snyder said after the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Department, the Secret Service and the FBI put out a "Be on the lookout for" alert, one of his officers saw the suspect vehicle northbound on Interstate 95 and other officers "forced it to a stop without incident." Snyder said the vehicle matched the description in the bulletin but "now we have to determine if this, in fact, was the right suspect."

The shooting occurred near Trump International Golf Course in West Palm Beach, Florida, according to sources familiar with the matter. Trump was at the club at the time. The Secret Service said in a statement that it's working in conjunction with the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office to investigate "a protective incident involving former President Donald Trump that occurred shortly before 2 p.m. [ET]. The former president is safe." A spokesman for the sheriff's department said, "we do have a potential suspect" and said it would hold a news conference Sunday afternoon.

@realDonaldTrump
While you were my choice in 2106, I and the world hoped that president Trump would be different and better than the candidate, but we all were greatly disappointment and it seems you are getting worse and devolving; are you retarded; I will be glad when you gone

You reap what you sow, or so a certain someone said so long ago.

BearPaws wrote: Sun Sep 15, 2024 8:48 pm But I sure don't want a "hot" conflict ignited by someone ending him with a firearm.

The man in custody was Ryan Routh, three law enforcement officials told the AP. The officials who identified the suspect spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the ongoing investigation. Records show Routh, 58, lived in North Carolina for most of his life before moving to Hawaii in 2018. In 2020, he made a social media post backing Trump’s reelection, but in more recent years his posts have expressed support for Biden and Harris.

Routh tried to recruit Afghan soldiers fleeing the Taliban to fight in Ukraine, and spent several months in the country, according to an interview with The New York Times last year. The FBI was leading the investigation and working to determine any motive. Attorney General Merrick Garland was receiving regular updates. Agents with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives were helping investigate.

Snyder, the Martin County sheriff, said the suspect was apprehended within minutes of the FBI, Secret Service and Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office putting out a “very urgent BOLO” — or “be on the lookout” alert. Snyder said his deputies “immediately flooded” northbound I-95 and “we pinched in on the car, got it safely stopped and got the driver in custody.” The man who was detained had a calm, flat demeanor and showed little emotion when he was stopped, according Martin County Sheriff William Snyder. “He never asked, ‘What is this about?’ Obviously, law enforcement with long rifles, blue lights, a lot going on. He never questioned it,” Snyder said.

While being interviewed backstage at the 2024 Emmys in Los Angeles, Jon Stewart commented on the assassination attempt reportedly made on former President Donald Trump on Sunday, suggesting a “no shooting” policy be agreed upon by all.

President Donald Trump responded to the El Paso and Dayton mass shootings by insisting Monday that “mental illness pulls the trigger not the gun,” but shortly after taking office he quietly rolled back an Obama-era regulation that would have made it harder for people with mental illness to buy guns.

Ryan Wesley Routh, 58, is charged with federal gun crimes - possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and possession of a firearm with an obstructed serial number. The records indicated that Routh's mobile phone was "located in the vicinity of the area along the tree line" from roughly 01:59 to 13:31, the criminal complaint said. Agents found a loaded SKS-style rifle - not an AK-style weapon, as was previously reported. Those types of rifles "are not manufactured in the state of Florida", the court docs said. The license plate that accompanied the Nissan SUV that Routh was driving was registered to a 2012 white Ford truck that had previously been reported stolen.

Routh shuffled in and out of the courtroom in his blue prison jumpsuit during an otherwise typical day in court, with five other defendants charged with a range of crimes waiting for their own hearings. Routh went last, around 10:36 local time (14:36GMT), turning serious and speaking carefully as he told the judge he understood the serious charges against him. Those charges did not include any references to trying to harm the former president, though the FBI have said they are investigating Sunday's incident as an assassination attempt.