Update to the original story: 3:05 a.m.

Just 64 days after being shot in Pennsylvania, shots rang out at the Trump International Golf Club at 2 p.m. on Sunday in a second assassination attempt of former President Donald Trump.

Trump was golfing at the time that the Secret Service issued a call of “shots fired.” At a press conference, representatives of the FBI and Secret Service said that a witness had a seen a man coming from the bushes and taken a picture of the black Nissan car that he drove away in.

Using license plate readers, the suspect’s vehicle was detected on I-95 heading towards Martin County. Officers stopped and detained him. In the bushes where the man had been seen, law enforcement authorities recovered an AK-47-style rifle with a scope. On the fence nearby were two backpacks that had been hung up and a Go Pro video camera.

An agent who was stationed one hole ahead of Trump spotted a rifle barrel sticking out of a bush and engaged the suspect, at which point he fled. Agents reportedly opened fire at him as he fled. The suspect was able to get within 300 to 500 yards of Trump.

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Authorities later identified the suspect as Hawaii resident Ryan Wesley Routh, 58. Routh is originally from North Carolina, but has resided in Hawaii since 2017.

According to the New York Post, Routh frequently posted about politics, writing on social media in April, “DEMOCRACY is on the ballot and we cannot lose.” He has exclusively donated to Democratic candidates since 2019, making at least 19 donations.

The language used by Routh echoes that used by President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic presidential nominee who was undemocratically hand-picked by the Dem elite after millions of voters had selected Biden as their candidate. Apparently, saving democracy must be done by any means necessary.

“It is no coincidence that Routh repeated Kamala’s and Joe’s extremist rhetoric against Trump. At this point it is inexcusable incitement,” Tom Fitton, president of Judicial Watch, told NYP.

Many on the left were quick to blame Trump for bringing the second assassination attempt on himself, despite the inflammatory rhetoric being used by Biden, the Harris-Walz campaign, and others.

In June 2020, Routh tweeted at Trump that he was left disappointed by his presidency. “I and the world hoped that president Trump would be different and better than the candidate, but we all were greatly disappointment and it seems you are getting worse and devolving; are you retarded; I will be glad when you gone,” he wrote, per NYP.

Routh’s social media accounts contain strong support for Ukraine and Taiwan, according to NYP. Routh conducted several interviews, including one with The New York Times, about his support for Ukraine.

Routh’s son, Oran Routh, was informed of the assassination attempt by the Daily Mail. Oran told the Daily Mail that his father hates Trump, just as “every reasonable person does.” He added that he doesn’t “like Trump either.”

“He’s my dad and all he’s had is couple traffic tickets, as far as I know,” Oran said, per Daily Mail. “That’s crazy. I know my dad and love my dad, but that’s nothing like him.”

Oran said that he and his father had previously had a falling out. Despite Oran’s claims that his father is not a violent person, all appearances and evidence speak to the contrary. A former neighbor from North Carolina said that Routh “had a lot of guns and stuff” and that people were afraid of him. In 2002, Routh was convicted of carrying a “weapon of mass destruction,” referring to a fully automatic machine gun that was in his possession, reported the NYP.

In his self-published book Ukraine’s Unwinnable War, Routh said about himself that he “would probably fall in the category of barbaric killer,” reported The Times. In an apology to Iran written in the book, Routh said, “I must take part of the blame,” referring to Trump’s 2016 election, “But I am man enough to say that I misjudged and made a terrible mistake and to Iran I apologise. You are free to assassinate Trump as well as me for that error in judgement … No one here in the U.S. seems to have the balls to put natural selection to work or even unnatural selection.”

Trump initially released a statement in which he wrote, “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! Nothing will slow me down. I will NEVER SURRENDER! I will always love you for supporting me. Unity. Peace. Make America Great Again. May God bless you.”

He later posted on Truth Social, “I would like to thank everyone for your concern and well wishes – It was certainly an interesting day! Most importantly, I want to thank the U.S. Secret Service, Sheriff Ric Bradshaw and his Office of brave and dedicated Patriots, and, all of Law Enforcement, for the incredible job done today at Trump International in keeping me, as the 45th President of the United States, and the Republican Nominee in the upcoming Presidential Election, SAFE. THE JOB DONE WAS ABSOLUTELY OUTSTANDING. I AM VERY PROUD TO BE AN AMERICAN!”

Harris released a statement saying, “I am deeply disturbed by the possible assassination attempt of former President Trump today. As we gather the facts, I will be clear: I condemn political violence. We all must do our part to ensure that this incident does not lead to more violence. I am thankful that former President Trump is safe. I commend the U.S. Secret Service and law enforcement partners for their vigilance. As President Biden said, our administration will ensure the Secret Service has every resource, capability, and protective measure necessary to carry out its critical mission.”

State and federal charges are expected to be filed against Routh as early as Monday.

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