FBI says it’s investigating ‘what appears to be an attempted assassination’ of Trump in Florida

By CNN

Published September 15, 2024 12:58 PM

CNN

By Kristen Holmes, John Miller, Kate Sullivan and Evan Perez, CNN

(CNN) — The FBI said Sunday it “is investigating what appears to be an attempted assassination” of former President Donald Trump, who his campaign said earlier in the day “is safe following gunshots in his vicinity.”

The afternoon incident at Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, Florida, comes two months after an assassination attempt against the former president at a Butler, Pennsylvania, rally that sparked scrutiny of the US Secret Service.

West Palm Beach Sheriff Ric Bradshaw said during a Sunday news conference that his office was informed at 1:30 p.m. ET of shots fired by the Secret Service. Trump had been playing golf at the time, moving between holes five and six, a source briefed on the matter told CNN.

A Secret Service agent spotted a rifle barrel with a scope sticking out of the fence and “engaged” with the person, Bradshaw said. The person, who was later taken into custody, was 300 to 500 yards away from Trump, an official said.

“We are able to catch a witness that came to us and said, ‘Hey, I saw the guy running out of the bushes, he jumped into a black Nissan and I took a picture of the vehicle and the tag,’ which was great,” Bradshaw said.

Authorities alerted the Martin County Sheriff’s Office, which detained the person. The witness was able to then identify the man, who has not been named.

A long gun has been recovered, according to the law enforcement source.

Trump — who had been golfing with donor Steve Witkoff, according to a source familiar with the matter — soon assured supporters that he was safe. “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!” Trump wrote in a fundraising email that afternoon.

President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris have been briefed on the security incident involving Trump and they are both “relieved to know that he is safe,” according to the White House.

“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,” Harris wrote on the social media platform X.

Biden and Harris, both of whom are in Washington, DC, with no public events Sunday, will be kept updated by their team. Attorney General Merrick Garland has also been briefed, according to Department of Justice spokesperson Dena Iverson.

Trump’s running mate, Ohio Sen. JD Vance, wrote on X later Sunday that the former president is in “good spirits.”

“I’m glad President Trump is safe. I spoke to him before the news was public and he was, amazingly, in good spirits,” Vance said.

“He is one of the strongest people I’ve ever known,” South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham posted. “He’s in good spirits and he is more resolved than ever to save our country,” the Trump ally wrote.

This story and headline have been updated with additional information.

CNN’s Michelle Shen and Sam Fossum contributed to this report.