Florida to Launch Probe Into Second Trump Assassination Attempt

Florida is set to open its own investigation into the second apparent assassination attempt against former President Donald Trump.
On Tuesday, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis told reporters that state law enforcement will launch a criminal probe into the incident, which will work alongside the current investigation by federal authorities.
“We have a very strong interest in holding this suspect accountable,” DeSantis said while speaking to reporters about the incident involving suspect Ryan Wesley Routh.
Federal prosecutors are continuing their investigation and could pursue more severe charges as they seek a grand jury indictment.
Newsweek reached out to Trump’s spokesperson via email for comment.
Officials have charged Routh, 58, with possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and possession of a firearm with an obliterated serial number after, authorities said, a Secret Service agent saw Routh pointing the barrel of a rifle through a tree-lined fence along the perimeter of Trump International Golf Course in West Palm Beach, Florida, where the former president was golfing that morning.
Trump was unharmed, and no other injuries were reported.
Routh was reportedly within 500 yards of the former president when the agent noticed him and opened fire, according to law enforcement, spurring Routh to flee in a vehicle. He was later taken into custody in a nearby county.
This marked the second suspected assassination attempt on Trump, the Republican nominee for president, in just two months. During a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on July 13, a bullet grazed his ear. Eight days after the incident, President Joe Biden dropped out of the race, clearing the path for Vice President Kamala Harris to become the Democratic Party’s nominee.
On Monday, Palm Beach County State Attorney Dave Aronberg appeared on CNN and discussed the possibility of additional charges being filed against Routh in Florida.
“Make no mistake, I think this guy is in a whole world of hurt,” Aronberg told CNN’s Kaitlan Collins. “He’s going to be facing many years in prison, and he’s not going to get out of jail pending trial. They’re going to show that he’s a danger to the community, so he’s not going to get pretrial release.”
Routh was previously arrested eight different times, arrest records reviewed by Newsweek showed.
In December 2002, Routh pleaded guilty in North Carolina to possessing an unregistered fully automatic gun, stripping his right to own a firearm. He was also convicted in March 2010 of multiple counts of possession of stolen goods.
Under Florida state law, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon is a second-degree felony and is punishable by up to 15 years in prison.
This article includes reporting from the Associated Press.