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Ryan Wesley Routh

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Ryan Wesley Routh
Routh while in custody
Born1965 or 1966 (age 58–59)[1]
Guilford County, North Carolina U.S.
Known forSuspect in the Trump International Golf Club shooting
MotiveUnder investigation
Details
DateSeptember 15, 2024
Location(s)Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, Florida
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Ryan Wesley Routh is an American man who is suspected of having attempted to assassinate former U.S. president Donald Trump, the Republican Party nominee for the 2024 presidential election. Routh's motives are currently under investigation, and it is still unclear if he fired any shots.[2][3][4]

On September 15, 2024, Secret Service agents shot at least four rounds at Routh, who was hiding with an AK-47-style rifle in shrubbery at the Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, Florida. He was allegedly pointing his weapon through the fence line of the golf course, 300–500 yards away from the former president, as he was moving between holes five and six alongside Republican mega donor Steve Witkoff.[4][5] Routh fled the scene, but was later arrested as the potential suspect.

Personal life

Routh was born in 1965 or 1966 in Guilford County, North Carolina.[1] In the early 1980s, Routh attended Northwest Guilford High School.[6] He later attended North Carolina A&T State University for two semesters in 1995.[7] In January 1989, Routh was married to Lora Frances Wilson[8][9] and had at least one son.[10][11] They have since divorced.[12] In 1991, Routh fought and chased a suspected rapist. In August 1991, he was honored as a "super citizen" by the Greensboro chapter of the International Union of Police Associations.[13]

In 2004, Routh campaigned against the closing of a skateboard park built by his son and his teenage friends.[10] He told News & Record, "Let's make this a joint public-private venture instead of trying to squish these kids like a bug or telling them to go home and play video games."[14]

In 2018, Routh moved from Greensboro, North Carolina, to Kaʻaʻawa, Hawaii.[15]

Criminal conduct

In December 2002, Routh was convicted of possessing a firearm; resisting, delaying and obstructing a law enforcement officer and driving with license revoked after a three-hour stand off with police. He was pulled over while driving, and during the traffic stop he put his hand on a gun and then drove to a nearby business, where he barricaded himself inside.[16][17][18]

In 2003, he was sentenced for driving without a license, carrying a concealed weapon and hit-and-run. In 2010 he was convicted of possessing stolen goods. For each of these charges he was given probation.[19]

In September 2024, Routh was arrested as the potential suspect for the attempted assination for former U.S. President Donald Trump. He was later charged with two offenses: possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and possession of a firearm with the serial number removed.[20]

Political activities

Voter records show that he was an unaffiliated voter.[21]

According to posts on his Twitter account in 2020, Routh has expressed shifting political views over the years. In 2016, he supported Donald Trump, but by 2020, he voiced his dissatisfaction, stating, "I will be glad when you are gone."[22] In a self-published e-book in 2023, he wrote about his previous support for Trump by stating, "I am man enough to say that I misjudged and made a terrible mistake". He further went on to write "you are free to assassinate Trump as well as me for that error in judgment".[23]

Routh also supported Bernie Sanders in 2020, criticizing Joe Biden as "sleepy Joe"​. His political stance evolved further in 2024, where he expressed concern over democracy in a post tagging Biden, and telling him his campaign​ slogan should be "Keep America Democratic and Free."[24] In 2020, he also supported Tulsi Gabbard, calling for an executive order on police misconduct​[25] and he made several small donations to the Democratic fundraising platform ActBlue, contributing 19 times in 2019 and 2020 with amounts ranging from $1 to $25, as recorded by the Federal Election Commission.[26] By early 2024, he suggested a Nikki Haley and Vivek Ramaswamy ticket for the Republican primary.[11] Later in 2024, he voted in the Democratic primary in Guilford County, North Carolina.[19] Routh had, additionally, donated $140 to Democratic causes since 2019, and is registered in North Carolina as an independent voter.[23][27]

Routh claimed on his social media accounts, as well as in 2022 interviews with The New York Times and Newsweek Romania, to have made supposed efforts to recruit soldiers for Ukraine in its fight against its invasion by Russia. He also claimed to have fought in Ukraine.[17][28][29] Routh said in a 2022 interview with a Romanian reporter in Kyiv that he flew to Ukraine to join the army in the months after Russia's full-scale invasion but learned that he was "not an ideal candidate" for the battlefield because he was in his mid-50s with no military experience. Later in 2022, Routh said in an interview that after he was rejected for military service, he began recruiting volunteer soldiers for the Ukrainian military.[30] Routh complained of roadblocks to Ukraine admitting foreign fighters, telling the publication Semafor "Ukraine is very often hard to work with, they're afraid that anybody and everybody is a Russian spy".[31]

According to various posts on his X account in 2023, Routh tagged the Haitian National Police and asserted that he had thousands of NATO-trained Afghan soldiers who "wish to serve for the Haiti national police at cheap wages."[32][33] He also claimed to have 1,000 soldiers with passports ready to fly.[34][35]

Other posts indicate he believed in COVID-19 conspiracy theories.[36] Routh also posted a historical map of Palestine in Roman times to argue that Jews have no right to the land.[37]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b Adam Goldman; Thomas Gibbons-Neff; Glenn Thrush; Najim Rahim (September 15, 2024). "Suspected Gunman Said He Was Willing to Fight and Die in Ukraine". The New York Times.
  2. ^ "Trump Safe After Shooting Reported at His Golf Course". The New York Times. September 15, 2024. Retrieved September 15, 2024.
  3. ^ "Trump is safe following shooting at Florida golf course; suspect detained". CNN. September 15, 2024. Retrieved September 15, 2024.
  4. ^ a b Breen, Kerry; Schecter, Anna (September 16, 2024). "What's known about Ryan Wesley Routh, suspect in possible Trump assassination attempt on Florida golf course - CBS News". www.cbsnews.com. Retrieved September 16, 2024.
  5. ^ Staff, Al Jazeera. "Trump assassination attempt : Who is suspect Ryan Routh?". Al Jazeera. Retrieved September 16, 2024.
  6. ^ "NW gets Junior Title". The Greensboro Record. May 21, 1980. p. 18. Retrieved September 16, 2024.
  7. ^ Stratta, Peter (September 16, 2024). "Suspected Trump gunman has multiple ties to Guilford County". WXLV. Retrieved September 16, 2024.
  8. ^ "Marriage Licenses". News and Record. January 8, 1989. p. 107. Retrieved September 16, 2024.
  9. ^ Vogel, Mike (April 21, 1990). "Accomplishing a Miracle Renovation Fulfills Dream for Couple". Greensboro News and Record. Retrieved September 16, 2024.
  10. ^ a b Schlosser, Jim (July 16, 2004). "Skateboard park closed". News and Record. p. 5. Retrieved September 16, 2024.
  11. ^ a b Guzman, Chad de (September 16, 2024). "What We Know—and Don't Know—So Far About the Trump Golf Course Shooter". TIME. Retrieved September 16, 2024.
  12. ^ Rohrlich, Justin (September 16, 2024). "Ex-employee of Trump shooting suspect recalls police standoff and 'stupid' behavior". The Independent. Retrieved September 16, 2024.
  13. ^ Woodall, Bernie (August 27, 1991). "Police Organization Honors 'Super Citizen'". News and Record. p. 31. Retrieved September 16, 2024.
  14. ^ "Thinking Out Loud". News and Record. July 19, 2004. p. 13. Retrieved September 16, 2024.
  15. ^ "5 things to know about the apparent assassination attempt on Trump at one of his golf courses". AP News. September 16, 2024. Retrieved September 16, 2024. Records show Routh, 58, lived in North Carolina for most of his life before moving in 2018 to Kaaawa, Hawaii, where he and his son operated a company building sheds, according to an archived version of the webpage for the business.
  16. ^ "5 things to know about the apparent assassination attempt on Trump at one of his golf courses". AP News. September 16, 2024. Retrieved September 16, 2024.
  17. ^ a b Henderson, Barney; Lewis, Kaitlin (September 15, 2024). "Ryan Wesley Routh, would-be Trump assassin, fought in Ukraine, supports war". Newsweek. Retrieved September 16, 2024.
  18. ^ "MAN WITH GUN BARRICADES SELF INSIDE BUSINESS". Greensboro News and Record. December 16, 2002. Retrieved September 16, 2024.
  19. ^ a b Mikkelsen, Emily; Skipper, Elijah; Melrose, Justyn (September 15, 2024). "Greensboro neighbor describes man accused of attempting Trump assassination, says 'a lot of people were afraid of him'". Fox 8. Retrieved September 15, 2024.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  20. ^ Picheta, Jessie Yeung, Teele Rebane, Lex Harvey, Rob (September 16, 2024). "What we know about Ryan Wesley Routh, the suspect in the apparent second Trump assassination attempt". CNN. Retrieved September 16, 2024.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  21. ^ Breen, Kerry; Schecter, Anna (September 15, 2024). "What's known about Ryan Wesley Routh, suspect in possible Trump assassination attempt". CBS News. Retrieved September 16, 2024.
  22. ^ "Suspect in Donald Trump assassination attempt may have been 'politically motivated' ADL says". The Jerusalem Post | JPost.com. September 16, 2024. Retrieved September 16, 2024.
  23. ^ a b Guzman, Chad de (September 16, 2024). "What We Know—and Don't Know—So Far About the Trump Golf Course Shooter". TIME. Retrieved September 16, 2024.
  24. ^ Brooks, Brad (September 16, 2024). "Ryan Routh: What we know about suspect in Trump assassination attempt". Reuters. Retrieved September 16, 2024.
  25. ^ "Ryan Wesley Routh: What we know about suspect in Trump assassination attempt in Palm Beach County". WPTV News Channel 5 West Palm. September 16, 2024. Retrieved September 16, 2024.
  26. ^ "Man in custody after Trump golf club incident was once convicted of possessing a machine gun". NBC News. September 16, 2024. Retrieved September 16, 2024.
  27. ^ Licon, Adriana (September 15, 2024). "5 things to know about the apparent assassination attempt on Trump at one of his golf courses". Associated Press. Retrieved September 16, 2024.
  28. ^ "EXCLUSIV Recrutor pentru Legiunea Internațională: Vă încurajez să veniți și să luptați în Ucraina | Newsweek Romania". newsweek.ro. June 14, 2022. Retrieved September 16, 2024.
  29. ^ Henderson, Barney; Lewis, Kaitlin (September 15, 2024). "Ryan Wesley Routh, would-be Trump assassin, fought in Ukraine, supports war". Newsweek. Retrieved September 16, 2024.
  30. ^ Pinho, Faith E.; Nelson, Laura J.; Winton, Richard (September 16, 2024). "Trump assassination attempt suspect said he had hoped to fight in Ukraine". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved September 16, 2024.
  31. ^ "Man in custody after Trump golf club incident was once convicted of possessing a machine gun". NBC News. September 16, 2024. Retrieved September 16, 2024.
  32. ^ Vargas, Ramon Antonio (September 16, 2024). "Son of suspect speaks after apparent Trump assassination attempt in Florida". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved September 16, 2024.
  33. ^ "Ryan Wesley Routh: The assassination suspect who flew to Ukraine and urged Americans to join him". The Telegraph. September 16, 2024. Retrieved September 16, 2024.
  34. ^ Vargas, Ramon Antonio (September 16, 2024). "Son of suspect speaks after apparent Trump assassination attempt in Florida". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved September 16, 2024.
  35. ^ "Ryan Wesley Routh: The assassination suspect who flew to Ukraine and urged Americans to join him". The Telegraph. September 16, 2024. Retrieved September 16, 2024.
  36. ^ Brennan, David; Looft, Chris. "Ryan Wesley Routh: What we know about suspect in Trump 'attempted assassination'". ABC News. Retrieved September 16, 2024.
  37. ^ "Trump's would-be-assassin previously voted for him, believes Jews have no right to Holy Land". The Times of Israel.
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