DeSantis holds press conference after announcing state investigation into Trump assassination

WEST PALM BEACH, Florida. – Florida Governor Ron DeSantis holds a press conference in West Palm Beach on Tuesday, two days after the suspected assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump.

DeSantis is accompanied by Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw and Martin County Sheriff William Snyder and other officials.

The press conference takes place after the governor announced that in addition to the FBI State law enforcement will also investigate Sunday's incident which occurred at the Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach.

“People have a right to the truth about the alleged assassin and how he was able to get within 500 feet of the former president and current Republican candidate,” DeSantis wrote on Sunday on X.

According to law enforcement officials, the former president was at his golf course Sunday afternoon when a Secret Service agent saw the barrel of a rifle come through the fence.

The agent yelled “gun,” fired in the direction of the rifle, and Trump was taken to safety.

The suspect has since been identified as Ryan Wesley Routh, 58, of Hawaii.

Authorities said the suspect fled after agents shot him, leaving behind a rifle with a scope, two backpacks with ceramic tiles in them and a GoPro camera.

Snyder said Officers arrested the suspect a short time later near Palm City after Palm Beach County officials issued a “very urgent” BOLO (Benefits of Loss) alert for a black Nissan SUV.

A witness was able to tell the officers the license plate number of the vehicle.

“Our Crime Center relayed it to the license plate readers in real time and we were able to get a hit on the vehicle on I-95 as it headed toward Martin County,” Snyder said.

Routh appeared briefly before the Federal Court on Mondaywhere he was represented by a federal public defender. He is expected back in court on September 23.

The shooting came about two months after the Secret Service killed a man who fired a rifle in an attempt to assassinate Trump at a rally in Pennsylvania. The bullet grazed Trump's ear.

Tuesday's press conference is scheduled for 9:00 a.m. and will be streamed live at the top of this page.