Former US president was at his Florida Golf club when gunshots rang “in his vicinity”

A shooting incident occurred on Sunday at Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, Florida, when the ex-US President and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump was playing golf there.

Trump’s campaign said the former president was not harmed in the shooting and has been safely evacuated from the site. 

“President Trump is safe, following gunshots in his vicinity. No further details at this time,” Trump’s campaign spokesman Steven Cheung has said.

The Secret Service has acknowledged the “protective incident” involving Trump, stating on X, formerly Twitter, that it’s working with the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office to investigate it. The incident occurred shortly before 2pm local time, the service said.

American media has provided multiple conflicting accounts of the events, initial reports suggesting the incident did not involve Trump at all and was just two people shooting at each other. 

Further reporting on the matter, however, indicated the shooting was likely related to Trump, with multiple sources telling CNN the Secret Service had fired at the suspect. Unnamed officials briefed on the matter told the broadcaster an armed individual intended to attack Trump.

A suspect believed to be connected to the incident has been taken into custody, the Martin County Sheriff’s Office said in a Facebook post. A section of Interstate 95 has been shut down for the ongoing investigation, it added. 

“We will update this information as it becomes available,” the sheriff’s office added.

The incident comes just weeks after Trump survived an assassination attempt during a campaign rally in Pennsylvania. The ex-president’s ear was grazed by a bullet as he addressed the event, while one supporter in the crowd was killed and two others injured. The perpetrator, identified as Thomas Matthew Crooks, was killed on the spot by gunfire returned by a counter-sniper team.