Former President Donald Trump was rushed to safety by Secret Service agents after a man armed with an AK-47 opened fire on his golf course.
Trump was golfing at the time, the man was spotted several holes ahead of Trump.
This is possibly the second assassination attempt on the ex-prez this election. He was previously shot at his rally at Butler, Pennsylvania on July 13, 2024.JD Vance says Trump is 'in good spirits'
Former President Donald Trump was "in good spirits" after a man armed with an AK-47 opened fire on his West Palm Beach golf course, according to his running mate JD Vance.
"I'm glad President Trump is safe. I spoke to him before the news was public and he was, amazingly, in good spirits," Vance (R-Ohio) posted on X.
"Still much we don't know, but I'll be hugging my kids extra tight tonight and saying a prayer of gratitude."
Would-be shooter was 'not displaying a lot of emotions.' when he was detained: sheriff
Trump's alleged would-be shooter was "relatively calm" when he was taken into custody Martin County Sheriff William D. Snyder said.
“He was not displaying a lot of emotions. Never asked, ‘What is this about?’” the sheriff said.
The shooter was detained on route 1-95 after a witness provided authorities with pictures of the suspect's car.
Sheriff says Trump's security lighter because he's not sitting prez
Sheriff Ric Bradshaw indicated that former President Donald Trump's security was lighter because he's not the sitting commander-in-chief.
"At this level that he is at right now, he's not the sitting president. If he was, we would have had this entire golf course around it. But because he's not, security is limited to the areas that the Secret Service deems possible," Bradshaw said.
"I would imagine that the next time he comes to a golf course, there'll probably be a little bit more people around the perimeter. But the Secret Service did exactly what they should have done."
Bradshaw stressed that it was difficult to identify the suspect earlier because of the "shrubbery."
Trump 'between 300 and 500 yards' away from shooter
Sheriff Ric Bradshaw estimated that Donald Trump was on the gold course -- and probably "between 300 and 500 yards" away from the suspected shooter.
An official noted Trump was about one or two holes behind where the shooter was perched.
"He's not the sitting president," Bradshaw said, explaining that if he was, the golf course would've been locked down more aggressively.Officials set to release photos
Sherif Ric Bradshaw said that officials will release photos of the suspect's backpack and rifle.
"There's also a GoPro on the fence there, where he was intent on filming what was going on," Bradshaw said while showing the photos.
"The public doesn't need the panic," he added.
Authorities revealed that a witness claimed to have identified the suspect's vehicle.
"Fortunately, we were able to locate a witness that came to us and said, 'Hey, I saw the guy running out of the bushes.' He jumped into a black Nissan, and I took a picture of the vehicle," Sherif Ric Bradshaw said.
Authorities managed to catch up to the vehicle and detain the suspect. Authorities also recovered a GoPro and AK-47 from the scene according to Bradshaw.
"We have somebody in custody right now that is a potential suspect," he explained.
FBI says that shooting near golf course 'appears to be assassination attempt'
The FBI released a statement saying that the incident at former President Trump's golf club "appears to be an attempted assassination."
It is unclear at this time why they are saying that.
Donald Trump issued an “alert” statement to let supporters know he was safe shortly after an alarming security incident where a man was taken into custody with a high-powered rifle at one of the former president’s golf resorts.
“There were gunshots in my vicinity but before rumors start spiraling out of control, I wanted you to hear this first: I AM SAFE AND WELL!” he wrote Sunday after the second firearms-related incident he’s been party to since July, this time from the Trump International Golf Course West Palm Beach.
https://nypost.com/2024/09/15/us-news/shots-fired-near-trump-live-updates-reactions-photos-more/