Sheriff vehicles near Trump International Golf Club on Sunday, after gunshots were reported in the vicinity of former President Donald Trump.Stephanie Matat/AP
The FBI is investigating what officials believe is another attempted assassination of former President Trump, and a “potential suspect” is in custody.
Shots were fired near Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, Florida, where the president was golfing, at about 1:30 p.m. The Trump campaign’s communications director, Steven Cheung, said in a statement Sunday afternoon that Trump “is safe following gunshots in his vicinity.”
Secret Service personnel who were walking ahead of Trump on the golf course opened fire after seeing a rifle barrel sticking out of a fence, Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw told reporters Sunday afternoon. The suspect—who Bradshaw said was 300 to 500 yards from Trump, around the length of three to four football fields—fled on foot before getting in a car, Bradshaw said. As of Sunday afternoon, it was unclear whether the suspect had fired any shots back at the Secret Service. A witness provided a photo and details of the license plate, which allowed the Martin County Sheriff’s office to identify the vehicle and detain the suspect soon after on the I-95 freeway, authorities said.
Law enforcement found an AK-47 assault rifle with a scope—a device used to improve aim—two backpacks, and a GoPro camera in the shrubbery where the victim fled from. “With a rifle and a scope like that,” Bradshaw said, the shooter was “not a long distance” from the former president.
A male is in custody, Bradshaw said. The FBI is leading the federal investigation, according to Jeffrey Veltri, special agent in charge of the Miami Field Office, who added that the public should avoid the area around the golf course and contact officials if they have information on the shooting.
The news marks a stunning development, coming just about two months after the shooting that killed a spectator and injured Trump and two others at a Pennsylvania rally. That shooting remains the subject of a federal investigation, and the Secret Service has been criticized for the massive security failures that allowed it to unfold. On Sunday, though, officials lauded their response: “The Secret Service did exactly what they should have done,” Bradshaw said. “They provided exactly what the protection should have been and their agent did a fantastic job.”
In the aftermath of the shooting, Trump seemed to be in good spirits. “Nothing will slow me down,” he wrote in a fundraising email just hours later. “I will NEVER SURRENDER!”
In a post on X, Vice President Kamala Harris said she was briefed on the incident, adding, “I am glad he is safe. Violence has no place in America.”
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
