Trump 'safe' after shooting near his golf course in Florida | General News

Former President Donald Trump is safe after gunfire “near him,” his campaign said, following an incident near his golf club in Florida on Sunday.

Secret service agents saw a man pointing a rifle at the golf course where Trump was apparently located at the time, law enforcement sources told BBC's US partner CBS News.

The agents shot the suspect several times, who then tried to flee, the sources said. One suspect is now in custody and a weapon has been seized.

In an email to his supporters, Trump said he was “safe and well” after the shooting near him.

“Nothing will stop me,” he wrote. “I will never give up!”

The incident occurred almost exactly two months after a gunman attempted to assassinate Trump at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, by punching him in the ear.

The Secret Service confirmed in a post on X that it was investigating a “protection incident” involving Trump that occurred shortly before 2 p.m. EST (7 p.m. 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 the Trump International Golf Course, “where former President Trump was playing golf.”

“They are relieved to know he is safe. Your team will keep you regularly updated,” the White House said.

Harris posted on X that she had been informed of the matter and was glad that Trump was unharmed. “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 team for further details.

Trump was injured on July 13 while speaking to a crowd in Butler, Pennsylvania, when a gunman named Thomas Matthew Crooks shot him with an AR-15-style rifle from the roof of a nearby building.

A bystander died in the shooting, while 20-year-old Crooks was killed at the scene by a Secret Service sniper.

The Secret Service was conducting a thorough investigation into how the shooter from Bethel Park, Pennsylvania, managed to open fire on the former president.

The agency's director, Kimberly Cheatle, resigned within two weeks of the incident.