Sunday’s incident occurred while Trump was golfing at his course in West Palm Beach, Fla. Following the usual security procedure, a Secret Service agent moved one or two holes ahead of the former president, 300 to 500 yards away, according to Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw.
At around 1:30 p.m., between the fifth and seventh holes, the agent noticed a rifle muzzle poking through the tree-lined chain-link fence surrounding the golf course, Bradshaw said. The agent opened fire and Trump’s detail rushed him to a holding room. The gunman fled in a black Nissan, leaving behind an AK-47-style rifle, two bags and a camera mounted to the fence to record, according to Bradshaw.
“With a rifle and a scope like that, that’s not a long distance,” Bradshaw said.
It was the second time in just over two months that a man had a high-powered rifle within range of Trump, renewing concerns about Trump’s safety in the height of the campaign leading up to Election Day on Nov. 5. The Secret Service has long viewed golf courses as especially challenging because they are open to parts of the public and near heavily trafficked areas. The agency repeatedly denied requests for the Trump campaign for additional security measures at his public events, with officials citing limited resources.
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