WEST PALM BEACH, FLA. (WSVN) – Newly released radio communications capture the frantic moments when Secret Service agents confronted a gunman who prosecutors say tried to assassinate Donald Trump at his golf club last year.
“Shots fired, shots fired, shots fired, individual in the bush with a gun[…]all units be advised it looked like an AK-47 style assault rifle pointing through the fence, onto the golf course. Individual has not gained entry to the golf course. He is on the exterior of the compound,” Agent Robert Fercano is heard saying in the recordings, which were played in court last week and publicly released Tuesday.
Prosecutors allege Routh, 59, spent weeks planning to kill Trump before aiming a rifle through shrubbery as the former president played golf on Sept. 15, 2024, at Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach.
He faces charges of attempting to assassinate a major presidential candidate, assaulting a federal officer and several firearm violations. He has pleaded not guilty.
FBI witnesses testified Monday that Routh’s fingerprint was found on the scope of an SKS rifle recovered just outside the golf course and that the weapon was fully functional.
Agents also described evidence collected from Routh’s black SUV, including six cellphones, three license plates, a bullet casing and notes referencing flights to Mexico and Colombia.
Routh, who is representing himself, has asked only brief questions of prosecution witnesses. He has indicated he may call a firearms expert and character witnesses but has not said if he plans to testify.
The trial, initially scheduled to last three weeks, could end sooner. Prosecutors said they expect to rest their case by Thursday, with defense witnesses set to appear by Friday.
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