One year on from Trump assassination attempt, second suspect readies for trial in Florida

Sunday marked one year since Donald Trump survived an assassination attempt in Butler, Pennsylvania.

Then-candidate Trump was at a campaign rally ahead of the November presidential election when 20-year-old Thomas Crooks fired at him from a nearby rooftop. The bullets grazed Trump’s ear but killed an audience member and critically injured two others. Crooks was shot and killed by law enforcement.

Two months later, a man was arrested charged with plotting a second attempt on Trump’s life. A member of Trump’s security detail says he saw a gun barrel poking from the bushes as Trump played golf in Florida. A man later identified as Ryan Routh fled the scene and was arrested a short time later. Routh has been in federal custody ever since. 

Last week, he told a federal judge that he wants to fire his court-appointed lawyers and represent himself, saying he will be ready to defend himself before a trial jury in September. 

Routh has pleaded not guilty to charges of attempted assassination, assaulting a federal officer and several firearm violations. In addition to the federal charges, he has also pleaded not guilty to state charges of terrorism and attempted murder.

In a statement released by the White House on Sunday, Trump said, “It remains my firm conviction that God alone saved me to restore our beloved Republic to greatness”