The 58-year-old man arrested as the main suspect in an attempted murder against former U.S. President Donald Trump was identified on Sunday, hours after the incident, but the details of his life and what led him to commit this act have been revealed as the investigation unfolds.
Ryan Wesley Routh, as the detained man is named, did not fire his AK-47 rifle with a telescopic sight and also did not have Trump in his line of sight during the time he was hiding on the golf course where the former president was located. However, the man was discovered by a Secret Service agent in charge of Trump's protection, and he fled at full speed, authorities said.
He was arrested that same Sunday on a nearby highway, and on Monday, Routh appeared before a federal court in West Palm Beach to face federal charges of possession of firearms, amid a presidential campaign in which Trump seeks to return to the White House.
There he stated that he has no savings, that the only assets he owns are two trucks that are currently in Hawaii, and that he receives about 3,000 dollars in monthly income, EFE reported.
Data that emerged after the events reveal a Routh who seemed disappointed with the policy adopted by Trump during his administration (2017-2021).
"I and the world hoped that President Trump would be different and better than when he was a candidate, but we are all very disappointed and it seems that you are getting worse… I will be glad when you leave," he wrote on X in 2020, as EFE recalled.
However, his vote this year, in the primary elections in North Carolina, was for the Democrats, according to data from the North Carolina State Board of Elections cited by CBS.
The man was born in that state, although his residence is listed in Hawaii, a state where he owns a construction company and has shown support for Ukraine after the Russian invasion.
Until the afternoon of Sunday, when he was in the line of trees on the golf course from 1:59 a.m. to 2:31 p.m., to expand his list of crimes, Routh had an extensive criminal record.
In 2002, according to judicial records consulted by various media outlets, he was convicted for the possession of an automatic firearm. Furthermore, the documents reveal other convictions for carrying a concealed weapon, possession of stolen goods, and an incident of hit-and-run.
The man also has a 25-year-old son who expressed surprise at his father's action. "I don't know what happened in Florida, and I hope things have just been exaggerated," he told CNN.
On September 23, Routh will have to appear again in court for his bail hearing. A week later, on September 30, the charges will be read to him.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has already stated at a press conference in West Palm Beach that "this is a crime that should deserve life imprisonment" and assured a state investigation alongside the federal one.
“People deserve the truth about the possible killer and how he could get within 500 yards of the former president and current Republican candidate,” he wrote on X.
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