Topline
Ryan Routh dropped off a letter months before an attempted assassination on Donald Trump indicating his plans to kill the former president while also offering $150,000 to “whomever can complete the job,” prosecutors claim, after reports detailed his support of Ukraine and earlier criticism of Trump.
Reports say the suspected shooter was an outspoken supporter of Ukraine in its ongoing war with … [+]
Key Facts
Routh, 58, is originally from Greensboro, North Carolina, where he worked as a roofing contractor, but moved to Hawaii in 2018 and operated a shed-building business with his son there, the Associated Press reported.
Citing public records, The Washington Post reported Routh lived in the town of Kaaawa on Oahu with a woman named Kathleen Shaffer.
In 2002, Routh was convicted of possession of a weapon of mass destruction, according to the Justice Department, after he reportedly barricaded himself inside a local business with a “fully automatic machine gun” during a stand-off with Greensboro police, and he was convicted again in March 2010 on multiple counts of possession of stolen goods.
The New York Times interviewed Routh in 2023 in a piece about U.S. volunteers in Ukraine, where he claimed to have spent several months in the country, noting he was seeking to recruit former Afghan soldiers who fled the Taliban to fight alongside the Ukrainians.
Posts from Routh’s now-deleted X account stated his willingness to “VOLUNTEER AND FIGHT AND DIE” for Ukraine after Russia launched its invasion in 2022, while other posts reportedly suggested he voted for Trump in the 2016 presidential election before later regretting the decision.
A person the DOJ identified as a witness in the case claimed Routh dropped off a box months ago that contained ammunition, a metal pipe, “miscellaneous building materials,” unspecified tools, four phones a letter that read: “This was an assassination attempt on Donald Trump but I failed you,” adding, “I tried my best and gave it all the gumption I could muster,” the DOJ said.
Last week, Routh was charged with possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and possession of firearm with an obliterated serial number, and he may still face additional charges in the case.
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What To Watch For
Prosecutors are scheduled to argue on Sept. 23 that Routh should remain in prison before a trial. Routh was ordered to remain in custody after an earlier hearing, in which prosecutors claimed Routh is a flight risk and poses a danger to the public. He is scheduled to appear for an arraignment on Sept. 30.
Surprising Fact
After appearing to support Trump in the 2016 election, Routh donated a combined $140 in 2019 and 2020 to ActBlue, a Democratic fundraising organization, according to federal elections records. Routh also previously voiced support for former Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, a former Democratic presidential candidate who left the party and backed Trump, as well as former Republican candidates Vivek Ramaswamy and Nikki Haley, the BBC reported.
What Does Body Cam Footage Of Routh’s Arrest Show?
The Martin County Sheriff’s Office released its body camera footage of detaining Routh last week, and the 35-second clip shows him in sunglasses walking backward toward officers with his shirt over his head before being handcuffed. He was stopped by officers in Martin County—which is north of Palm Beach County—about 45 minutes after shots were fired at him, according to court documents. Martin County Sheriff William Snyder described the stop as a “textbook case of a traffic stop of a known felon,” CNN reported. Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw said officers were able to detain Routh with the help of a witness who said they saw him flee the shrubbery where he was hiding and jump into a car. The witness then gave law enforcement officials information on the car he left in and later identified the man.
What Do We Know About Routh’s Support For Ukraine?
According to the New York Times, Routh planned to recruit former Afghan soldiers and use fake passports purchased in Pakistan to help move them to Ukraine. It is unclear if Routh acted on this plan, but a former Afghan soldier cited by the Times said he had been contacted and was open to fighting in Ukraine if it allowed him to leave Iran, a country he was staying in illegally. Shaffer, who reportedly lived with Routh, ran a GoFundMe for Ukraine’s International Volunteer Center in 2022, where she identified him as her “fiancé.” On the fundraiser page, which was taken after Routh’s arrest, Shaffer wrote Routh traveled to Kyiv in April 2022 and planned to stay there for 90 days. Shaffer also mentions Routh arranged for the “delivery of 120 drones to the front lines,” although it is unclear if these were funded by the $1,865 raised by her on GoFundMe.
What Did Routh’s Self-Published Book Say?
Routh appears to have jointly authored and self-published an e-book on Amazon with Shaffer about “Ukraine’s Unwinnable War” and the “Fatal Flaw of Democracy.” In the book, Routh laments Ukraine not getting adequate support from world leaders and even asks “Why has Putin not been assassinated?” The book makes several mentions of Trump and in a section about Iran, Routh writes he must take some blame for electing a president “that ended up being brainless” before adding: “You are free to assassinate Trump as well as me for that error in judgment and the dismantling of the deal.”
What Is Known About Routh’s Earlier Criminal Charges?
Routh faced criminal charges in North Carolina for two separate incidents, in April and December 2002. According to the Washington Post, Routh pleaded guilty to the first charge in April, although no further details about the case are public. In December of that year, Routh was charged with “carrying a concealed weapon and possession of a weapon of mass destruction” after he barricaded himself inside a local business called United Roofing with a “fully automatic machine gun,” the Greensboro News and Record reported in 2002. Tracy Fulk, the charging officer involved in the December 2002 case, told Wired magazine after Routh’s latest arrest: “I figured he was either dead or in prison by now … I had no clue that he had moved on and was continuing his escapades.”
What Have Routh’s Family And Friends Said?
In a statement shared with CNN, the suspected gunman’s son, Oran Routh, described him as a “loving and caring father, and honest, hardworking man.” Routh’s son added he doesn’t know what happened in Florida and hopes “things have just been blown out of proportion” because the man he knows would not “do anything crazy, much less violent.”
Key Background
Trump’s campaign said he was safe after what the FBI said “appears to be an attempted assassination” at his golf club on Sept. 15. Bradshaw told reporters that the Secret Service spotted a gun poking out of a fence at Trump International Golf Club West Palm Beach and fired at the gunman, who was hiding in the shrubs. The FBI said the gunman did not fire any shots at the Secret Service—or have Trump in his line of sight—before he fled the scene, leaving his AK-47-style gun with a scope, two backpacks, and a GoPro camera at the scene. According to his indictment, Routh spent nearly 12 hours in the shrubbery surrounding Trump’s golf course before he was shot at by Secret Service. Bradshaw said the shooter was between 300 and 500 yards away from the former president, adding that it was not a long distance because of the scope used on the gun. The suspect was eventually detained by police and put under arrest after a witness saw him flee in a car.
Further Reading
Trump Safe After ‘Attempted Assassination’—Suspect Identified (Forbes)
Suspect In Trump Attempted Assassination Charged With 2 Gun Counts In Federal Court (Forbes)
