Suspect in 2nd apparent Trump assassination attempt lives in small O‘ahu coastal community

The 58-year-old suspect behind a second apparent assassination attempt on former U.S. President Donald Trump, this one on Sunday at Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, Fla., is a current resident of Hawai‘i.

Ryan Wesley Routh was arrested without incident early Sunday afternoon following a high speed chase by multiple law enforcement agencies on Interstate 95 in Martin County, Fla.

Multiple news outlets report that Routh lives in Kaʻaʻawa, a small coastal community on Oʻahu’s eastern shore.

Honolulu’s KHON2 reported that neighbors who know him were stunned that he could even be involved in something like what he’s accused.

“Brah, this is unbelievable,” Kaʻaʻawa resident David Stant told the O‘ahu TV news outlet. “It’s like one of those movie type of deals. It’s a small community, real family-oriented. He’s a real nice guy. Him and the girlfriend get along, well most of the time great. It’s amazing.”

Neighbors told KHON2 that Routh, who has lived in the community for several years, didn’t talk politics.

“No, we just talked about surfing,” Kaʻaʻawa resident Easto Trinin told the news station. “Yeah. That’s it. We just go surf all the time.”

But Routh did display his allegiances; the U.S. flag flies near his door and he has a Biden-Harris sticker on his truck.

Several neighbors described him the same way — a nice, quiet guy and great carpenter. He renovated most of his home and offered to help anyone who needed it.

“He always helped the community you know in fact, he bulit my house,” said Trinin. “I get one small house. I live in the back in the bushes; he built a little 10×10 for me and my 10 dogs.”

NBC News reported that Routh fled from the West Palm Beach golf club area Sunday after a Secret Service agent assigned to Trump’s security detail who was walking the club’s perimeter saw what appeared to be a rifle poking out from a tree line and fired their service weapon in that direction.

A witness saw a man, later identified as Routh, get into a Nissan SUV and speed away from the area. He was arrested about 45 minutes later.

In the spot from where Routh fled, agents discovered a loaded SKS-style 7.62×39 caliber rifle with a scope, digital camera, two bags and a black plastic bag with food inside.

Reports say he was pointing the AR-style rifle at Trump, who was about 400 yards away at the time, when the Secret Service agent opened fire.

The criminal complaint against Routh also said the rifle’s serial number “was obliterated and unreadable to the naked eye.”

The license plate on Routh’s getaway Nissan also was registered to a 2012 Ford truck that was previously reported stolen.

Routh appeared earlier today in West Palm Beach court. He is charged with federal possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and federal possession of a firearm with an obliterated serial number.

NBC reported that during his initial appearance, when asked by the judge about his earnings, Routh said he has no money to his name and owns two trucks in Hawai’i worth about $1,000 each.

His next court appearance is scheduled Sept. 23 for a bond hearing. He is being represented by a public defender.

The federal government is taking over prosecution of the case, with the U.S. Justice Department expected to file any charges in connection with the apparent assassination attempt.

NBC reported that Palm Beach County State’s Attorney Dave Aronberg said Routh would not have had to open fire for the case to include a charge of attempted assassination.

The FBI continues to investigate the apparent assassination attempt. U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland said in a statement earlier today that the entire Justice Department is coordinating closely with its law enforcement partners on the ground in Florida.

“We will work tirelessly to ensure accountability, and we will bring every available resource to bear in this investigation,” said Garland in the statement as reported by NBC.

Routh previously lived for decades in North Carolina, where NBC reports that court records show more than 100 criminal counts were filed against him, including a 2002 conviction for possessing a machine gun.

He has also spoken about his efforts to recruit people to fight in support of Ukraine against Russia; however, there was no immediate indication that Trump’s stance on Ukraine motivated his alleged actions.

Routh apparently supported Trump’s first run for president but later criticized him on social media, saying in a June 2020 tweet “it seems you are getting worse and devolving; are you retarded; I will be glad when you gone.”

He also used the Twitter/X platform to show support for Vermont U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders and referred to President Joe Biden as “Sleepy Joe.”

His X account has since been suspended.

NBC reports that according to Federal Election Commission records, since Routh has lived in Hawai’i, he made several small contributions to Democratic fundraising platform ActBlue, including 19 payments in 2019 and 2020 in amounts of $1 to $25.