The suspected gunman in ex-President Donald Trump’s apparent second assassination attempt laughed and smiled as he walked shackled into court.
Ryan Wesley Routh, 58, wore a blue jumpsuit and smiled and chuckled to assistant public defender Kristy Militello three to four times just before entering a federal courtroom in West Palm Beach, Florida, on Monday morning, Fox News reported.
Shortly before, the Martin County Sheriff’s Office released images of him being arrested on Sunday about 50 miles away from Trump International Golf Club.
Routh, with blond hair, wore a pink long-sleeved shirt and seemed to wince with his arms behind his back, while standing in front of a black vehicle.
Another image showed him with his shirt rolled up to above his elbows and his black sunglasses down his nose, with two sheriff’s deputies holding him from behind.
Routh sat inside a cop vehicle in another photo and gazed out, looking undisturbed.
In his first court appearance lasting only eight minutes, Routh calmly responded in a soft voice to US Magistrate Judge Ryon McCabe’s questions.
He said little besides, ‘Yes, judge.’
Asked about his earnings, Routh said he had ‘zero’ savings and was making about $3,000 monthly. He said he owns two trucks in Hawaii worth roughly $1,000 apiece.
He added that he has a 25-year-old son who is a dependent and has a job but needs ‘occasional support’.
Routh has been charged with possession of a firearm by a convicted felon as well as possession of a firearm with an obliterated serial number.
He could face up to 15 years in prison if convicted on the first federal charge and up to five years for the second one.
Routh may face additional more serious charges as an investigation into the incident continues.
A courtroom sketch showed Routh wearing a short-sleeved blue jail uniform with his arms behind him and standing next to a woman, presumably his court-appointed lawyer, in front of the judge.
Another sketch depicted him emotionless and looking down to his left.
Armed with an SKS rifle, Routh managed to get within 300 to 500 yards of Trump, who was playing golf, at a fence at the edge of his property.
A Secret Service agent a hole in front of Trump noticed the rifle and began firing, prompting the suspect to flee.
Trump was not harmed.
The apparent assassination attempt was the second one within just over two months, after a gunman opened fired and grazed Trump’s ear at an outdoor rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on July 13.
Roth’s bond hearing has been set for September 23. His arraignment or probable cause hearing has been scheduled for September 30 and is pending a possible indictment.
He had been arrested eight times before, with his criminal record dating back to the 1990s.
Routh was charged with possession of a weapon of mass destruction in 2002, North Carolina Department of Corrections records showed.
His misdemeanor charges include a concealed weapons violation, a hit-and-run offense and resisting arrest.
A press conference held by the US Attorney, FBI and Secret Service late afternoon Monday largely rehashed details already disclosed in a criminal complaint released that day.
The suspect ‘did not fire or get off any shots at our agent’ who spotted him and started shooting, said Secret Service Acting Director Ronald Rowe.
Authorities recovered a loaded SKS rifle with a scope, a digital camera, a backpack and a black plastic bag with food from the scene, said Markenzy Lapointe, US Attorney for the Southern District of Florida.
When officials tried to interview Routh, he invoked his right to an attorney, said Jeffrey Veltri, FBI special agent in charge of the Miami Field Office. Veltri added that ‘a citizen provided remarkable assistance’.
Rowe said his agency’s ‘quick reaction’ was ‘critical’ in foiling the apparent assassination attempt.
‘The men and women of the (Secret Service) since July 13 have been rising to meet an unprecedented and hyper dynamic threat environment,’ he said, ‘And they are rising to this moment and I couldn’t be more proud of them on what they executed yesterday.’
Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw said Trump called him on Sunday and thanked him for what his agency did along with the Secret Service.
‘He feels safe. That’s important, because he is,’ said Bradshaw.
‘And what we did yesterday proves that the system can work, because the suspect didn’t even get close to getting a round off and we apprehended him and brought him to justice, so we’re very, very proud of that.’
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