Key events
In response to a question on how the incident was allowed to happen, Palm Beach officials said:
“So when somebody gets into the shrubbery, they’re pretty much outside and at this level that [Donald Trump] is at right now, he’s not the sitting president. If he was, we would have 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 will probably be a little bit more people around the perimeter, but the Secret Service did exactly what they should have done. They provided exactly what the protection should have been, and their agents did a fantastic job.”
Secret Service: Trump was “between 3 and 500 yards’ away from suspect
Secret Service officials said Donald Trump was between “3 and 500 yards” away from the suspect.
“But with a rifle and the scope like that, that’s not a long distance,” officials said.
Jeffrey B Veltri, special FBI agent in charge of the Miami field office, said:
“What we need right now is for the public to avoid the area around the golf course. We will continue to support this investigation with the full resources of the FBI, alongside our partners.”
“We have somebody in custody right now that is a potential suspect,” Palm Beach officials said.
“We got a little bit more work to do on it, but as we usually do, as soon as we decide that we’re going to book him into the county jail and the charges that he’s going to be booked into, we’ll get those to you, and we’ll get a picture of them, and we’ll get you his background,” they added.
Palm Beach county sheriff’s office is hosting its press conference.
According to authorities, a witness said: “I saw the guy running out in the bushes.”
They added that police detained the suspect in Martin county and found an AK-47-style rifle with a scope, two backpacks as well as a GoPro “which he was going to take pictures” with.
The suspect involved in the gunshot incident on Donald Trump’s Florida golf course dropped his AK-style rifle and fled into an SUV, according to officials speaking to the Associated Press.
The suspect was then taken into custody in a neighboring investigation with no injuries reported.
The firearm was recovered at the scene near Trump International Golf Club West Palm Beach, according to two officials speaking to the AP.
FBI investigating ‘what appears to be an attempted assassination’ of Trump
Hugo Lowell
US Secret Service agents opened fire on a man armed with a gun who they believed was targeting Donald Trump as he played at his golf course in West Palm Beach, Florida, according to two people familiar with the matter.
The agents were several holes ahead of Trump when they spotted a gun poking through the bushes, one of the people said. The man then fled in a vehicle that was later apprehended. An AK-style rifle was found at the scene.
Trump was nearby but was safe, according to the Trump campaign. “President Trump is safe following gunshots in his vicinity. No further details at this time,” Trump communications director Steven Cheung said.
The Palm Beach county sheriff’s office is expected to hold a press conference this afternoon. Palm Beach officials were briefed by local law enforcement that they believed Trump was the target, according to a person familiar with the matter.
In a statement, the FBI said: “The FBI has responded to West Palm Beach Florida and is investigating what appears to be an attempted assassination of former president Trump.”
Donald Trump: ‘I am safe and well’
Donald Trump has released the following statement after reports of gunshots being fired at his Florida golf course emerged on Sunday:
“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!”
Donald Trump’s son, Donald Trump Jr, took to X following gunshots reported on his father’s golf course, saying:
“An AK-47 was discovered in the bushes, per local law enforcement. The Trump campaign has released a statement confirming former President Trump is safe. A suspect has reportedly been apprehended.”
Again folks!
SHOTS FIRED at Trump Golf Course in West Palm Beach, Florida.
An AK-47 was discovered in the bushes, per local law enforcement. The Trump campaign has released a statement confirming former President Trump is safe.
A suspect has reportedly been apprehended. pic.twitter.com/FwRfrO3v6y
— Donald Trump Jr. (@DonaldJTrumpJr) September 15, 2024
Speaking to CNN, Martin county sheriff William Snyder said that a male suspect had been detained by authorities.
According to Snyder, the suspect was relatively calm and authorities also found an AK47 assault rifle.
Snyder went on to call the situation a “very serious incident”.
Officials are set to deliver a press conference soon on the shooting incident.
Stay tuned as we bring you the latest updates.
There is quite a bit of confusion across media outlets on the gunshots.
According to the New York Post, two people were exchanging gunfire that was meant specifically for each other.
Meanwhile, CNN has reported its own sources saying that officials believe the shots fired were intended for Trump.
Fox News host Sean Hannity said that he has spoken to Trump, adding that the former president was “safe and unharmed”.
Hannity added that Trump was on the 5th hole and about to putt when “Secret Service pounced on the president, covered him, you had snipers with tripods.”
Hannity went on to say that a gun identified as an AK47 had been found.
Kamala Harris on Trump: ‘I am glad he is safe’
Kamala Harris has issued the following statement in response to gunshots being reported on Trump National Golf Club in Florida where Donald Trump was golfing:
“I have been briefed on reports of gunshots fired near former President Trump and his property in Florida, and I am glad he is safe. Violence has no place in America.”
I have been briefed on reports of gunshots fired near former President Trump and his property in Florida, and I am glad he is safe. Violence has no place in America.
— Vice President Kamala Harris (@VP) September 15, 2024
Trump campaign says in a statement that he is safe following gunshots
The Republican presidential candidate, Donald Trump, is safe following gunshots in his vicinity, his campaign said in a statement on Sunday. It said no further details were available.
Reuters could not immediately determine where Trump was located when the campaign issued the statement. The Politico national correspondent Meridith McGraw reported that the gunshots in question were fired at Trump National Golf Club in West Palm Beach, Florida, where the former president and Republican nominee in November’s election was golfing on Sunday.
Meanwhile, citing sources, the New York Post added that two people exchanging gunfire meant specifically for each other engaged in a shootout. The shooters were not targeting Trump, the sources said, according to the outlet.
However, CNN reported contradictory information. Citing its own sources, the network reported that officials believed the shots at the golf club were indeed intended for Trump.
