A second assassination attempt on Donald Trump played out midday Sunday at his Palm Beach resort when an unidentified male gunman targeted the former president with a scoped AK-47 while he played golf.
The gunman was spotted by Secret Service while Trump was still 300-400 meters away at the preceding hole, and as many as six rounds were fired to ward him off before he discarded his weapon and fled. The assailant was later apprehended 45 minutes north of the resort in Martin County after a witness identified his car and license plate, Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw said in a press conference later Sunday afternoon.
Trump was not hurt in this latest assassination attempt and is currently safe, according to the Secret Service and the Trump campaign.
A Secret Service spokesperson noted that the organization is working with the Palm Beach County’s Sheriff’s Office to investigate what happened. Shots were fired shortly before 2 p.m. Eastern, the agency stated. All shots fired were from the Secret Service, the Sunday press conference confirmed.
Initial reports said that Trump wasn’t being targeted, but new information from law enforcement sources cited by multiple outlets indicates that he appeared to have been the shooter’s target.
Trump had been playing golf at his Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach. Following the incident, the resort was locked down.
An earlier statement from Trump campaign spokesperson Steven Cheung read, “President Trump is safe following gunshots in his vicinity. No further details at this time.”
Both President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris issued statements decrying the attempted political violence following the incident.
Trump’s running mate JD Vance also released his own statement on X about the shooting. “I’m glad President Trump is safe. I spoke to him before the news was public and he was, amazingly, in good spirits. Still much we don’t know, but I’ll be hugging my kids extra tight tonight and saying a prayer of gratitude,” Vance wrote.
On Sunday Martin County police told reporters that “it does appear that we certainly have the vehicle involved in the [incident at] Mar-a-Lago, and we have the suspect that they were looking for.” He later confirmed that both the vehicle and suspect were involved in the shooting attempt.
Martin County Sheriff William D. Snyder added that his office was able to stop the vehicle in question and “were completely locked in.” He added, “We waited for a while, we didn’t want a high speed chase.”
The suspect was not “given an opportunity to put up a fight” Snyder added. The suspect was then “safely taken into custody.” Snyder also confirmed that the suspect is the same person involved in the incident at Mar-a-Lago and that the suspect is now in the custody of federal agents.
At the press conference on Sunday, Bradshaw said the investigation was aided by someone who saw the suspect flee the crime and who managed to take a photo the black Nissan he left in. Authorities found an AK-47 style rifle with a scope, two backpacks and a GoPro in the bushes from which the suspect fled.
Bradshaw also shared pictures of the backpack and GoPro and affirmed that the public “doesn’t need to panic.” He added, “It’s safe, there’s no more danger here.”
The golf course in question is surrounded by shrubbery, which made it easy for the suspect to be “pretty much out of sight,” Bradshaw added. “The Secret Service did exactly what they should have done. They provided exactly what the protection should have been, and their agent did a fantastic job.”
Bradshaw also praised local law enforcement for gaining information about the suspect so quickly. “That’s how we got the guy. We started out with we don’t know anything to where we had a tag, we had a vehicle description, and we got an area where we saw the person. So be proud. Be proud of your law enforcement.”
“Former President Donald Trump is safe and unharmed following a protective incident, shortly before 2pm on Sunday at Trump International Golf Club at West Palm Beach,” the Secret Service said. “The US Secret Service personnel opened fire on a gunman located near the property line, and this matter under investigation.”
The Secret Service also noted that its agents were “one or two holes” ahead of Trump when they spotted the suspect’s weapon and fired four to six rounds. The suspect did not fire back.
FBI Special Agent in Charge Jeffrey Veltri encouraged the public to call in with any tips related to the incident and stated that the agency “has assumed the role as the lead federal law enforcement agency in the investigation of the incident that occurred earlier today at Trump International Golf course here in West Palm Beach, Florida.”
Trump was shot two months ago during a campaign event in Pennsylvania. The FBI named Thomas Matthew Crooks, 20, as the shooter and believe he acted alone.
Crooks, who graduated from Bethel Park High School in 2022, worked in a nursing home as a dietary aide. He had murky political leanings, a registered Republican despite having donated $15 to a progressive group on Jan. 20, 2021.
Firefighter Corey Comperatore, 50, was killed in the shooting. Comperatore was remembered as a hero who died after he used his body to shield his wife and daughter from the shots. David Dutch, 57, of New Kensington, Pennsylvania, and James Copenhaver, 74, of Moon Township, Pennsylvania, were injured.
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