Concerns have been raised regarding the circumstances that allowed a gunman to approach Donald Trump in what seems to be another assassination attempt.
On September 15, Donald Trump was playing golf at his resort in West Palm Beach, Florida, when shots were reportedly ‘fired in his vicinity’.
The golf course was promptly placed on lockdown, and Trump later issued a statement to reassure his supporters that he was unharmed.
The former POTUS said: “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.”
The FBI has taken up the investigation, treating it as a potential second attempt on Trump’s life.
The suspect, identified as Hawaiian resident Ryan Wesley Routh, was fired upon by Secret Service agents after they observed the barrel of a gun emerging from the bushes.
Upon being spotted, Routh reportedly abandoned his AK-47 style rifle, two backpacks, and a GoPro camera, before fleeing in a black Nissan car.
Despite his attempt to escape, Routh was captured by law enforcement and is now in custody, confirmed Martin County Sheriff William Snyder, according to Sky News.
Given that this seems to be the second assassination attempt on Trump, Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw addressed the issue at a press conference, responding to questions about how the gunman managed to get so close to the presidential candidate.
“The golf course is surrounded by shrubbery, so when somebody gets into the shrubbery, they’re pretty much out of sight, all right, and at this level that he is at right now, he’s not the sitting president,” Bradshaw said, as per CNN.
“If he was, we would have had this entire golf course surrounded. But because he’s not, security is limited to the areas that the Secret Service deems possible.
“So, I would imagine that the next time he comes to the 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.”
His comments follow heavy criticism of the Secret Service for its handling of the July 13 incident, where Trump was targeted by gunman Thomas Crooks, leading to the resignation of US Secret Service director Kimberly Cheatle.