Florida will launch its own criminal investigation into the second assassination attempt against former president Donald Trump that will run parallel to the federal probe, Governor Ron DeSantis announced Tuesday morning.
DeSantis said he intends to hold Ryan Wesley Routh, 58, accountable for trying to attack Trump at his West Palm Beach golf club on Sunday. The FBI is leading a separate investigation into the incident.
“In my judgment, it’s not in the best interest of our state or our nation to have the same federal agencies that are seeking to prosecute Donald Trump leading this investigation, especially when the most serious, straightforward offense constitutes a violation of state law but not federal law,” the Republican governor said, referring to attempted murder.
“In addition to holding this suspect accountable, the public deserves to know the truth about how this assassination [attempt] came to be,” DeSantis added.
Tuesday’s announcement marks the official start of the probe, though the governor indicated in the past two days that a state-level investigation would be conducted. The statewide prosecutor of Florida is tasked with leading the investigation, per a new executive order.
Routh was ultimately thwarted by a Secret Service agent before he could fire at the former president. Shortly after fleeing the scene, Routh was apprehended by local police and taken into custody. On Monday, he was charged with two federal gun crimes: possession of a firearm as a convicted felon and possession of a firearm with an erased serial number.
Additional federal charges could follow as federal prosecutors seek an indictment from a grand jury. Routh is scheduled to appear in court for a bond hearing on September 23 and his arraignment on September 30. No motive for the latest attempted assassination has been revealed yet.
Sunday’s attempted assassination of Trump is the second in as many months. The first occurred at the GOP presidential nominee’s July campaign rally in Butler, Pa., where a bullet fired by Thomas Matthew Crooks, 20, grazed Trump’s right ear.