Incident occurred Sunday afternoon in West Palm Beach
Updated: 9/16/2024
After another apparent assassination attempt against former President Donald Trump, this time on Sunday in West Palm Beach, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has said the state of Florida will be conducting its own investigation regarding this latest incident.
"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' camp said on Twitter/X Sunday night.
“We also believe that there's a need to make sure that the truth about all this comes out in a way, you know, that's credible,” DeSantis said Monday during an appearance at Lawton Chiles Elementary School in Orlando.
“I mean, I look at the federal government with all due respect to them, you know, those same agencies that are prosecuting Trump in that jurisdiction are now going to be investigating this,” DeSantis added. “I just think that that may not be the best thing for this country. Nevertheless, they have their prerogative, but we have our prerogative.”
According to the FBI, the incident took place at Trump International Golf Course around 2 p.m., while Trump was on the course. The former president was playing golf at the time, and was rushed to safety once the shots rang out. According to Associated Press and National Public Radio reports, Secret Service agents, who reportedly fired at the gunman first, and the Palm Beach Sheriff's Department responded to the incident. Ryan Wesley Routh, 58, is accused of pushing the muzzle of an AK-47-style rifle through fencing at the golf course within one golf hole from Trump. He was spotted and fired upon by a U.S. Secret Service agent and was later captured and detained by authorities after driving away.
Outside the White House on Monday, President Joe Biden told reporters that Congress needs to provide more personnel to the Secret Service.
“Thank God the president is OK,” Biden told reporters. “One thing I want to make clear: the service needs more help. And I think Congress should respond to their needs.”
Amid conservatives' distrust of the FBI and Secret Service following Sunday and July 13, when a 20-year-old shooter fired shots at Trump and struck his ear at a rally in Butler, Pa., they are asking for continued reviews of the security around the former president.
Information from the News Service of Florida is contained in this report.