Florida to launch criminal investigation into alleged assassination attempt on Trump, governor says

WEST PALM BEACH — Florida law enforcement officials will launch their own criminal investigation into the apparent assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump, which will run parallel to the federal probe, Gov. Ron DeSantis announced Tuesday.

The governor said Florida prosecutors will pursue the most serious charges under state law, including attempted murder, in the statewide investigation of Ryan Wesley Routh, who was indicted Monday on federal firearms offenses.

“We have a very strong interest in holding this suspect accountable,” DeSantis told reporters.

It is not uncommon for federal and state law enforcement to conduct simultaneous crime investigations, as states may be able to bring charges that are not available at the federal level — and vice versa.

Routh is currently charged only with federal gun crimes, but additional charges are possible if Justice Department prosecutors seek a grand jury indictment. Prosecutors often bring initial possible charges quickly, then add more serious charges later as the investigation unfolds.

“We will spare no resources in this investigation,” Attorney General Merrick Garland said Tuesday at an event at the Justice Department.

Markenzy Lapointe, the chief federal prosecutor for the Southern District of Florida, declined to comment on the state's investigation.

DeSantis said the case would be handled by the Florida State Prosecution Service, overseen by Attorney General Ashley Moody.

The FBI has interviewed family members, friends and co-workers of the suspect and is working to gather evidence. Authorities have sought search warrants to access a video recording device, cellphones, a vehicle and electronic devices at Routh's former addresses.

No motive was released and Routh invoked his right to an attorney when questioned, authorities said.

Routh, 58, was arrested Sunday after authorities spotted a gun sticking out of the bushes on the golf course where Trump was playing. Routh camped outside the golf course with food and a rifle for nearly 12 hours, waiting for the former president before a Secret Service agent foiled the potential attack and opened fire.

Routh fired no shots, never had Trump in his line of sight and fled, leaving behind a digital camera, a backpack, a loaded SKS-style rifle with a scope and a plastic bag containing food, authorities said. He was arrested in a neighboring county.

Routh’s attorney declined to comment after his brief appearance in federal court Monday, when a judge ordered him to remain in custody after prosecutors argued he was a flight risk. Routh was transferred from the Palm Beach County jail to the federal prison in Miami. A federal magistrate has scheduled additional hearings for later this month.

In the federal case, Routh is accused of illegally possessing his gun despite multiple felony convictions, including two counts of possession of stolen property in 2002 in North Carolina. The other count alleges that the gun's serial number was obliterated and made unreadable to the naked eye, in violation of federal law.

Coming just weeks after the July 13 shooting at a campaign rally in Pennsylvania, where Trump was grazed by a gunman's bullet, the latest assassination attempt has accelerated concerns that violence continues to infect American presidential politics.

Federal investigators are examining Routh's extensive online footprint, which suggests a man with evolving political views, including recently an apparent disdain for Trump, as well as intense outrage over world events involving China and particularly Ukraine.

“You are free to assassinate Trump,” Routh wrote of Iran in an apparently self-published 2023 book titled “Ukraine’s Unwinnable War,” which described the former president as a “fool” and a “buffoon” for both the January 6, 2021, Capitol riot and the “huge mistake” of leaving the Iran nuclear deal.

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Richer reported from Washington. Associated Press writer Terry Spencer in Fort Lauderdale also contributed to this report.