Florida Governor Ron DeSantis announced on Sunday (September 15) that Florida will launch an investigation into the assassination attempt on former President Trump earlier that day.
The FBI stated in a press release that they are treating the incident as an assassination attempt and are conducting an investigation. Law enforcement officials reported that Secret Service personnel outside the Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, Florida, fired shots after discovering the barrel of a rifle. The suspect fled, but was later apprehended in nearby Martin County.
DeSantis took to social media to declare, “Florida will conduct an independent investigation into the assassination attempt at the Trump International Golf Club.”
“People deserve to know the truth about the attempted assassin and how he got within 500 yards of the former president and Republican presidential nominee,” DeSantis wrote.
Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw told reporters that the gunman ambushed from a location about 400 to 500 yards away from Trump, wielding an AK-47 rifle equipped with a scope.
The Sheriff stated that agents found the suspect near the fourth and fifth holes of the golf course. Trump was preparing to walk into that area at the time.
Martin County Sheriff earlier informed reporters on Sunday that further investigation was being handled by federal law enforcement officials.
The FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) are assisting in the investigation.
Both the Trump team and Trump himself released statements confirming that the former president is safe and no injuries were reported.
In July of this year, Trump had a bullet pass through his ear during a campaign rally in Pennsylvania. The incident resulted in one death and two injuries among the crowd, raising questions about potential security breaches by the Secret Service and event organizers, leading to the resignation of the agency’s director.
The gunman suspect, Thomas Matthew Crooks, was shot almost immediately after firing during the rally. Further details about Crooks, including his motives, have been scantily disclosed.
On Sunday, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas condemned violence against candidates and officials. The Department of Homeland Security oversees the Secret Service and is currently monitoring the investigation into the assassination attempt in Pennsylvania.
Meanwhile, President Biden and Democratic presidential nominee and Vice President Harris have been briefed on the incident.
(This article referenced English-language reports from Epoch Times.)