Suspect Ryan Wesley Routh appears in court, faces gun charges after Trump assassination attempt

Fast Facts

• On Sunday, Secret Service opened fire on a suspect with a rifle in shrubbery not far from former President Donald Trump at Trump International Golf Course West Palm Beach, Florida.

  11

• The suspect, Ryan Wesley Routh, fled the scene but was later apprehended by Florida law enforcement.

• Routh was charged in federal court with possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and possession of a firearm with an obliterated serial number. More charges are expected.

  11

• Routh may have lurked for nearly 12 hours near the Trump International Golf Course, phone records revealed.

• President Biden said the Secret Service "needs more help" after the second Trump assassination attempt.

• Failed Trump assassin's vantage point was no secret – paparazzi have staked out tree line for year 

• The tree line at the Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, Florida, has been known for years to be a vantage point for photographers looking to catch a candid glimpse of the former president and other VIPs.

• Still, suspected failed assassin Ryan Wesley Routh was able to camp out there for nearly 12 hours Sunday with a rifle aimed at the course, according to a federal affidavit. He even brought snacks.11

  A Secret Service agent patrolling the perimeter eventually spotted the gunman and opened fire, chasing him off before anyone was hurt. But local authorities say additional perimeter patrols would be an obvious safety upgrade when Donald Trump comes to town.

  Trump is known to frequent the course when staying at his Mar-a-Lago resort about 15 minutes away. And even though the visit wasn't on the president's schedule, anyone staking out the area could have been tipped off to his arrival by his motorcade.11

  "There have been previous individuals who have taken pictures of the former president while he's golfing," said Dave Aronberg, the state attorney for the 15th Judicial Circuit, which covers Palm Beach County. "They've gone through the shrubs and been able to poke a camera through the fencing. You would think that perhaps maybe they would consider someone scoping the perimeter.

  "11

  Photographers routinely announce their presence to the Secret Service and are well versed in where they can get a good line of sight, the New York Post reported. They are rarely asked to leave, an unnamed photo agency source told the paper.12