Former US President and Republican candidate Donald Trump’s campaign said Sunday that the ex-president is “safe” after shots were fired near his golf club in Palm Beach, Florida.
“President Trump is safe following the shooting that occurred in his immediate vicinity. There are no further details at this time,” said Steven Cheung, communications director for Trump’s campaign, in a brief statement distributed to the press.
The incident occurred near his golf club in West Palm Beach, Florida, where the former president was playing golf, and new details are expected to be released in the coming minutes about what happened.
According to NBC, Trump was immediately rushed to safety when shots were heard.
In a statement, the White House said that US President Joe Biden and Vice President and Democratic candidate Kamala Harris were briefed “on the security incident at Trump International Golf Course, where former President Trump was playing. They are relieved to know that he is safe. His team will keep them updated regularly.”
Teri Barbera, a spokeswoman for the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office, confirmed to the New York Times that a shooting occurred “in the vicinity of the golf course” and that a “person of interest” has been arrested, she said.
Police sources told the New York Post that two people exchanged gunfire outside the golf course and that “the shooters were aiming at each other” and not at the Republican candidate, a version that has not been officially confirmed.
The Secret Service issued a statement saying it was “working with the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office, investigating a protective incident involving former President Donald Trump that occurred shortly before 2:00 p.m. (18:00 GMT). The former president is safe.”
Trump was the victim of an assassination attempt on July 13 during a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, after a 20-year-old man shot him with a rifle, wounding him in the right ear.
The Secret Service shot and killed the attacker, who fired from a high position outside the compound, where one member of the audience died from a gunshot wound.
The incident led to numerous resignations over security failures at the event, including that of the then director of the US Secret Service, Kimberly Cheatle.
Cheatle eventually resigned ten days later over security lapses at the meeting, saying the assassination attempt was the agency’s “biggest operational failure” in decades.
Following this, the Secret Service approved a plan to increase Trump’s security, which includes the use of bulletproof glass screens at his outdoor events.
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2024-09-16 21:31:21