Donald Trump safe and in custody after golf course shooting
Former President Donald Trump is safe after a shooting “in close proximity to him,” his campaign said, following an incident near his Florida golf club on Sunday.
Law enforcement sources told CBS News, the BBC’s US partner, that Secret Service agents saw a man pointing a rifle at the golf course where Trump appeared to be at the time.
Agents fired multiple shots at the suspect as he tried to flee, sources said, adding that one suspect was in custody and a weapon was recovered.
In an email to supporters, Trump said he was “safe and healthy.”
“Nothing can slow me down,” he wrote. “I will never give up!”
The incident comes almost exactly two months after a gunman attempted to assassinate Trump at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania by shooting him in the ear.
The Secret Service confirmed in a post on X that it is investigating a “protective incident” involving Trump that occurred just before 2pm EST (7pm BST) on Sunday.
The White House said President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris had been briefed on the incident, which they said occurred at Trump International Golf Course, “where former President Trump was playing golf.”
“They are relieved to know that he is safe. Their team will provide regular updates,” the White House said.
Harris posted on X that she had been briefed on the matter and was glad Trump was not injured. “Violence has no place in America,” she wrote.
The BBC has contacted the US Secret Service, the West Palm Beach Sheriff’s Office and the Trump campaign for further details.
Trump was injured while speaking to a crowd in Butler, Pennsylvania, on July 13 when a gunman, Thomas Matthew Crooks, shot him with an AR-15-style rifle from the roof of a nearby building.
The shooting left one spectator dead, while Crooks, 20, was shot dead at the scene by a Secret Service sniper.
The Secret Service is facing intense scrutiny over how the shooter in Bethel Park, Pennsylvania, was able to open fire on the former president.
The agency’s director, Kimberly Cheatle, resigned two weeks after the incident.
