The suspected gunman involved in what authorities are calling an apparent assassination attempt against former President Donald Trump was identified by authorities Sunday night as Ryan Wesley Routh.
The 58-year-old allegedly carried an AK-47-style rifle with a scope onto the grounds near Trumpâs golf club in West Palm Beach, Florida. He also had two backpacks filled with ceramic tile and a GoPro camera hanging on a nearby fence.
Secret Service agents allegedly confronted and shot at Routh after noticing a rifle barrel sticking out of a nearby chain link fence just one hole ahead of the former president as he played a round with real estate developer Steve Witkoff on Sunday afternoon.
Routh was roughly 300-500 yards away from Trump, authorities said at a press conference following the incident.

A photo of Ryan Routh from his LinkedIn account.
LinkedInA witness told investigators with the Palm Beach County Sheriffâs Office that they then saw a man leap out of the bushes and take off in a black Nissan. The witness was able to take a photo of the car, which helped authorities track the suspect down.
The Nissan was eventually pulled over by deputies in neighboring Martin County, after a license plate reader got a hit on the vehicle while driving on I-95.
Martin County Sheriff William D. Snyder told Local10 News that the driver was ârelatively calmâ and ânot displaying a lot of emotions.â

Authorities found two black backpacks, a GoPro camera, and AK-47-style rifle and scope after a Secret Service agent foiled what is believed to have been an assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump.
Palm Beach County Sheriffâs Office/HandoutA man believed to be Routh was arrested in North Carolina in 2002 after an armed standoff with police officers, the Greensboro News & Record reported.
The dispute began when Routh put his hand on a gun during a traffic stop, the newspaper reported, before barricading himself for three hours inside United Roofingâa company based in Greensboro that records indicated he owned.
Routh eventually surrendered and was charged with possession of a weapon of mass destruction, which the local paper reported was a fully automatic machine gun. He was also charged with carrying a concealed weapon, hit and run, resisting an officer, and driving with a revoked license.
He was eventually convicted and sentenced to probation on all charges, according to North Carolina court records.
At some point, Routh relocated to Hawaii, where he ran what appears to be a construction firm for shed-like housing units. A phone number listed for the business goes straight to voicemail.

The alleged gunman who is believed to have attempted to assassinate former President Donald Trump on Sunday fled in a black Nissan that was later stopped by Florida police officers.
Palm Beach County Sheriffâs Office/HandoutJohn Miller, CNNâs law enforcement analyst, said he was more interested in Routhâs posts on social mediaâwhich included countless missives about supporting the Ukrainian forces in their continued fight against Russiaâs invasion in 2022.
âHe goes deep into his his self-proclaimed involvement in the conflict in Ukraine, his efforts to recruit soldiers and bring them into the country, his claims that he has been there possibly as a fighter,â Miller told CNNâs Kaitlan Collins and Wolf Blitzer.
The Daily Beast found two websites dedicated to the cause of sending foreign fighters overseasâone for Ukraine, and another for a theoretical future conflict between Taiwan and China. Both websites prominently list Routhâs contact information.
The phone number posted on both sites also goes straight to voicemailâbut mentions his involvement in the Ukrainian and Taiwanese recruitment efforts, as well as his Hawaiian construction company.
One of the websites appears to be dedicated to helping volunteer fighters travel to Ukraine and sign up for the Ukrainian Foreign Legion. However, it is unclear if Routhâs organization ever helped anyone reach the front lines.
A spokesperson for the Ukrainian volunteer unit told The Daily Beast that Routh âhas never been part of, associated with, or linked to the International Legion in any capacity.â
Routh was also interviewed by The New York Times in 2023 about his recruitment efforts, the paper said Sunday. He reportedly had no previous military experience but told the paper he was trying to recruit Afghan soldiers who fled the Taliban to fight on the Ukrainian side. âIâm just a U.S. citizen thatâs helping out,â he said.
The Times reporter, who interviewed Routh for a larger story about unqualified foreign volunteers with limited military experience, said Routh was âdoing whatever it tookâ to get the Afghan volunteers to the war-torn Eastern European country. The reporter also reflected that âit was clear he was in way over his head.â
Oran Routh, Ryan Routhâs 35-year-old son, told CNN that he was a âloving and caring father, and honest, hardworking man.â
âI donât know whatâs happened in Florida, and I hope things have just been blown out of proportion, because from the little Iâve heard, it doesnât sound like the man I know to do anything crazy, much less violent,â Oran told the network.
One of Routhâs former neighbors in Greensboro also expressed disbelief when she heard his name. âI mean I didnât think he would go that far. I knew he was a little cuckoo, but assassinating the president? I mean heâs going to be going away for a long time,â she told Fox 8.
The neighbor, who did not wish to be identified, told the local station that she knew he had âa lot of guns and stuffâ in his North Carolina home and claimed that people were âafraid of him back in the day.â
Among some of the social media posts viewed by The Daily Beast, Routh expressed support for Tulsi Gabbard, the former Hawaii representative, during her long-shot run for the Democratic Partyâs presidential nomination in 2020.
A Hawaii-based man with the same name sent multiple small donations to Gabbardâs campaign in 2020, according to FEC records. Previous donations were all to Democrats, including long-shot 2020 presidential candidates, Andrew Yang and Tom Steyer, Rep. Beto OâRourke (D-TX), and Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA).
They have not donated to another candidateâs campaign since.