Republican presidential candidate and former President Donald Trump was hit by an attempted assassination attempt while playing golf in Florida on the 15th. Trump is unharmed, the suspect has been detained.
This is Trump's second attempted assassination after two months. The last assassination occurred on a campaign rally podium in mid July. British media commented that such phenomena indicate that 'political violence has become the new norm in the United States'.
Gunshots from golf courses
The incident occurred at the Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, Florida, which is owned by Trump himself. Trump was playing basketball with his friends at the time.
Palm Beach County Sheriff Rick Bradshaw said that the incident occurred at around 1:30 pm local time on the 15th (1:30 am Beijing time on the 16th). The suspect was holding an AK-47 style rifle with a scope and hiding in bushes about three to four hundred meters away from Trump. After discovering the gun barrel protruding from the bushes, the special agents fired at least four shots towards the suspect.
Sean Hannity, a close friend of Trump and host of Fox News, said that Steve Witkov, who was playing basketball with Trump at the time of the incident, described to him that they heard several "bang bang" sounds when they reached the fifth hole. Several special agents immediately rushed onto Trump, surrounded him tightly, and then a small cart brought steel protective gear to escort him away.
Bradshaw explained that since Trump is not a current president, the security deployment at the stadium is limited and everything follows the arrangements of the Secret Service.
However, according to US officials cited by the Associated Press, Trump's security treatment has already been higher than many former presidents, due to his high exposure and identity as a presidential candidate. Trump's protection measures have been upgraded before and after his attempted assassination at a Pennsylvania campaign rally in July.
The suspect's identity is known
After the suspect was discovered, he abandoned his gun and drove away from the scene. Witnesses took photos of the black Nissan car he was driving and its license plate. Law enforcement agencies across Florida received tracking alerts, and law enforcement officers in nearby Martin County eventually captured the suspect on the interstate highway. The local law enforcement department said that the gunman left behind the crime gun, two backpacks hanging on the fence, and a GoPro camera at the scene.
The motive for the suspect's attack is currently unknown, but his identity was quickly revealed to the media by law enforcement officers: Ryan Wesley Lawes, 58 years old, from Hawaii.
The Florida prosecutor's department said that the suspect will first face state level charges, and applications for arrest warrants and pre-trial detention orders are being processed. Federal charges may also come later.
Afterwards, Trump sent an email to his supporters to report his safety. He wrote, 'Gunshots rang out near me. Before rumors spread, I hope you hear this news: I am safe and sound!' He did not specify whether his recent itinerary had changed.
The White House stated that President Joseph Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris have been informed of the situation and will receive a progress report on the investigation.
The 'new normal' of political violence?
A BBC article commented on the attempted assassination, saying that in the past few years, Americans had to adapt to political violence of all sizes that occurred from time to time. The party division is becoming increasingly sharp and deeply rooted, and the code of conduct that constrains candidates is also gradually being eroded.
The article states that in the context of rampant gun violence across the United States, such attacks may be "another inevitable new normal".
In the attempted assassination on July 13th, Trump suffered minor ear injuries and a rally participant died. The perpetrator was a 20-year-old American man who was shot dead on the spot. The relevant investigation is still ongoing, and the questioning of security breaches by the US political and public opinion has forced the resignation of the then director of the Secret Service.
The lead member of a bipartisan investigative task force in the US Congress said on the 15th that the task force has requested the Secret Service to report on the latest situation and "seek answers to today's and previous events".