Gov. Ron DeSantis announced that the state will launch its own investigation into the recent attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump at his West Palm Beach golf club, running parallel to the ongoing federal probe.
The state of Florida will conduct its own investigation into the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump at the Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, Gov. Ron DeSantis announced Sunday.
In a post to social media, DeSantis said the investigation will focus on how the suspect, identified as 58-year-old Ryan Wesley Routh, was able to get within 500 yards of Trump, who was golfing at the time of the incident.
“The people deserve the truth about the would-be assassin and how he was able to get so close to the former president,” DeSantis said.
Federal authorities, including the FBI and Secret Service, are already investigating the incident, which occurred on Sunday afternoon. Secret Service agents fired at Routh after spotting him with an AK-47-style rifle near the golf course. Routh fled the scene but was later arrested by law enforcement after a witness reported his vehicle. Trump was unharmed, and no shots from the suspect have been confirmed.
This is the second assassination attempt on Trump in recent months. In July, the former president was grazed by a bullet at a campaign rally in Pennsylvania.
The Florida investigation will run parallel to the federal probe, though it is unclear how long the state’s review will take or what specific findings it may uncover.
Political leaders from both parties, including President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, condemned the attack and reiterated their opposition to political violence.