CNN
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Donald Trump was strolling down the fifth gap of the championship course on the Trump Worldwide Golf Membership in West Palm Seashore, Florida, getting ready for his birdie putt, when the all-too-familiar sound of gunfire prompted his Secret Service element to pounce on the previous president.

This time, nonetheless, the one pictures fired got here from the gun of an agent defending Trump, and never a gunman who had staked out the previous president. Trump was whisked away to security, unhurt, whereas the gunman, who officers imagine remained close to the tree-line perimeter of the golf course for 12 hours, fled the scene by automobile.

Sunday’s obvious assassination try towards Trump – the second prior to now two months – has sparked a variety of questions, together with in regards to the actions and motivations of the suspect now in custody and whether or not the Secret Service offered satisfactory safety for a last-minute golf outing.

Investigators imagine Ryan Wesley Routh, the suspect within the obvious assassination try, arrived to the tree-lined fence of the golf course’s southern perimeter on Summit Boulevard at 1:59 a.m. Sunday morning, primarily based on the situation knowledge from his cellular phone. Telephone data from T-Cellular that indicated Routh’s cellphone was “within the neighborhood of the golf course” for roughly 12 hours earlier than he was first noticed by US Secret Service, in line with charging paperwork.

Jeffrey Veltri, particular agent answerable for the FBI Miami Area Workplace, mentioned at a Monday information convention, mentioned that the cell-phone knowledge indicated he was in “very shut proximity to the place he was noticed by the Secret Service.”

Authorities discovered a sniper’s nest alongside the fence. Routh allegedly had an SKS-style rifle, with a scope and obliterated serial quantity. A backpack held on the fence that contained ceramic tiles like these utilized in bulletproof vests. A GoPro digital camera and a black plastic bag with meals had been additionally held on the course fence, in line with a photograph from the crime scene launched Sunday.

It’s nonetheless not clear why Routh went to the golf course that day. There was nothing on Trump’s public schedule, and the golf spherical was a last-minute add to Trump’s calendar –an “off-the-record motion,” appearing Secret Service Director Ronald Rowe defined Monday.

The temperature in West Palm Seashore reached 90-degrees on the humid and cloudy September day, hardly very best {golfing} climate. Nonetheless, Trump is a creature of behavior and continuously golfs at the course whereas staying at Mar-a-Lago.

On Sunday, the previous president teed off the together with a donor, Steve Witkoff. By the fifth gap, Trump was having an excellent begin to his spherical – Trump informed Sean Hannity he was at even par, the Fox Information host mentioned after the incident on Sunday, whereas a supply informed CNN Trump joked that he was really at two-under par and in the midst of a “fantastic recreation of golf.”

Trump had a putt for birdie awaiting him on the fifth inexperienced, Hannity mentioned the previous president informed him.

Whereas Trump was strolling alongside the fifth gap, an extended par-three over a water hazard, one of many groups of Secret Service brokers defending him was one gap forward, sweeping the perimeter of the course on the sixth gap earlier than Trump performed it.

At 1:31 p.m. ET, the agent on the course the perimeter noticed what gave the impression to be a rifle poking out of the tree line. He fired within the route of the rifle, in line with the prison grievance.

“As former President Trump was transferring via the fifth fairway, throughout the course and out of sight of the sixth inexperienced, the agent, who was visually sweeping the realm of the sixth inexperienced, noticed the topic armed with what he perceived to be a rifle and instantly discharged his firearm,” Rowe mentioned Monday.

Palm Seashore County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw mentioned on Sunday that the Routh was roughly 300-to-500 yards from the previous president.

The would-be gunman by no means had a line of sight on the previous president, Rowe mentioned Monday, including: “He didn’t hearth or get off any pictures at our brokers.”

Trump publicly recounted the incident for the first time Monday night throughout an X Areas dialog.

“Swiftly we heard pictures being fired within the air, and I assume most likely 4 or 5, and it appeared like bullets. However what do I learn about that? However Secret Service knew instantly it was bullets, they usually grabbed me, and I believe most likely the opposite one, Steve is among the individuals. Steve Witkoff, an important good friend of mine,” Trump mentioned.

“So we’re within the group and everyone simply, we bought into the carts, and we moved alongside fairly, fairly good,” he continued. “I used to be with an agent, and the agent did a incredible job. There was no query that we had been off that course. I’d have cherished to have sank that final putt, however we determined, let’s get out of right here.”

The suspect flees and officers ‘flooded’ freeway

After the Secret Service agent fired at his place on the fence, Routh fled into in a black Nissan SUV, driving east towards I-95 and heading north on the freeway, officers mentioned.

Crucially, a witness close by noticed Routh leaving the scene, and took an image of his automobile and license plate. That allowed regulation enforcement officers throughout a number of jurisdictions to in the end cease Routh’s automobile about 45 minutes later in Martin County, greater than 40 miles to the north of the golf course.

The eyewitness offered “outstanding help” resulting in the arrest of the suspect, Veltri mentioned Monday.

At about 1:55 p.m. ET Sunday, the Martin County Sheriff’s Workplace obtained a BOLO – or “be looking out” alert – a few suspect heading north on I-95, with a automobile description and a tag quantity.

Martin County Sheriff William Snyder mentioned his company “flooded” the freeway. The world round the place Routh was detained Sunday was “crawling with regulation enforcement,” he mentioned.

Each accessible unit – about 30 in all, he estimated – went out to go looking, Snyder mentioned Monday.

One patrol deputy noticed the suspect automobile at about mile marker 110 and alerted others, following it however not making an attempt to instantly cease the automobile, Snyder mentioned. As an alternative, the deputy waited for 2 giant F-250 pickup vans to get in place on the freeway and pressure the automobile to a cease close to State Route 714.

Deputies performed a felony cease at 2:14 p.m. ET, calling Routh out of the automobile. He got here again and was handcuffed, the sheriff mentioned, and brought into custody, Snyder mentioned. Routh was requested if he knew why he was stopped, and he answered “within the affirmative,” in line with the affidavit supporting the prison grievance.

“His facial have an effect on was so flat. His demeanor was relaxed,” Snyder mentioned of Routh. “I truthfully thought it regarded like any individual that had simply left the church picnic and was on his means residence.”

Routh was driving his daughter’s automobile when he was detained, in line with a regulation enforcement supply. The license plate on the Nissan SUV was registered to a 2012 white Ford truck that had been reported stolen, in line with the charging paperwork.

The witness who initially noticed Routh fleeing the golf course was flown by the Palm Seashore County sheriff’s helicopter to the scene to determine Routh as soon as he was in custody, Snyder informed CNN’s Erin Burnett Monday night. The Martin County Sheriff’s Workplace turned Routh over to the FBI and Secret Service as soon as they arrived on the scene, Snyder added.

Routh was charged Monday morning with two preliminary counts: possession of a firearm whereas a convicted felon and possession of a firearm with an obliterated serial quantity. Extra expenses might be introduced, regulation enforcement officers conversant in the matter informed CNN.

CNN’s Kristen Holmes, Evan Perez, Holmes Lybrand, Michael Williams, Devan Cole, Eric Levinson and Andy Rose contributed to this report.