NBC confirmed the identity of the alleged would-be assassin who authorities took into custody on Sunday after failing an attempt on former President Donald Trump’s life.
“The person in custody whom the Secret Service shot at while he was in possession of a semiautomatic rifle is Ryan Wesley Routh, 58, three senior law enforcement officials briefed on the matter said,” NBC confirmed Sunday.
Attempts have been made to track Ryan Wesley Routh’s social media footprint on Sunday but they remain unconfirmed.
Photos that show an AK-47 rifle, a backpack and a Go-Pro camera on a fence outside Trump International Golf Club taken after an apparent assassination attempt of Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump, are displayed during a news conference at the Palm Beach County Main Library on September 15, 2024, in West Palm Beach, Florida. (AP Photo/Stephany Matat)
The alleged would-be Trump assassin on Sunday stood 300-500 yards away from the former president with scoped rifle, authorities said.
“How far away was the president when this gentleman was caught,” reporters asked authorities during a press conference on Sunday.
“Probably between 300-500 yards,” said Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw. “But with a rifle and a scope like that, that’s not a long distance.”
As many as four to six shots were fired by the Secret Service. It remains unknown if the would-be assailant returned fire.
As to why the would-be assassin was able to get that close to the former president despite a previous assassination attempt on him in June, the authorities said that the security perimeter could only be so wide due to him being a presidential candidate as opposed to a sitting president.
“You got to understand the golf course is surrounded by shrubbery,” said Bradshaw. “When somebody gets into the shrubbery, they’re pretty much out of sight. At this level [Trump] is at right now, he’s not the sitting president. If he was, we would have the entire golf course surrounded.”
The White House said in a statement, “The President and Vice President have been briefed about the security incident at the Trump International Golf Course, where former President Trump was golfing. They are relieved to know that he is safe. They will be kept regularly updated by their team.”
In a separate post on X, Vice President Kamala Harris said she had been briefed on the incident and added, “I am glad he is safe. Violence has no place in America.”
“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,” said Trump running mate JD Vance.
“Gwen and I are glad to hear that Donald Trump is safe. Violence has no place in our country. It’s not who we are as a nation,” Kamala Harris’s running mate Tim Walz said on Sunday.