Man arrested for alleged attempted murder lived in Hawaii, North Carolina

Investigators today visited the Kaaawa home of the man who was arrested this afternoon in connection with the alleged assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump in Florida.

Ryan Wesley Routh, 58, was taken into custody after the Secret Service spotted a rifle scope pointed at the golf course where the former president was playing, according to multiple media reports. Trump was not injured in the incident.

The Secret Service opened fire on the shooter after spotting his weapon, the Tribune News Service reported. The man fled, leaving two backpacks behind in the bushes of the golf course. A witness took photos of his black Nissan, complete with license plate, leading investigators to the identity of the suspect, who was later identified by multiple media outlets as Routh, a native of Hawaii.

Public records show that Routh, who is registered to vote in North Carolina, also lives in Kaaawa and has worked in Hawaii since 2018.

Land records show that his Hawaiian home in Kaaawa is owned by Kathleen Shaffer, who, according to public records, shares the address with Routh and has shared other addresses with him in the past.

Neighbors said a woman had been to the home earlier but left before investigators and media arrived.

The Honolulu Star-Advertiser saw at least three investigators walk toward the side door and front window of the Kamehameha Highway home this afternoon, but it didn't appear anyone was there and they left.

Law enforcement sources told the Star-Advertiser that Routh has an active Hawaii driver's license with the same address on Kamehameha Highway. They also said he has no arrest or criminal record and no firearms registered in Hawaii. He has a few traffic violations in Hawaii, according to court records.

His Social Security number was issued in North Carolina, the sources said.

The Star-Advertiser was unable to reach Routh or Shaffer, but spoke to neighbors near their home.

“It's crazy, super crazy,” Routh's neighbor David Stant said after hearing about the incident.

He said Routh was “really sweet, quiet… calm.”

RELATED: Trump safe after alleged assassination attempt; suspect with Hawaii ties arrested

The owner of Camp Box Honolulu, Routh was known for building storage units and tiny homes. The Honolulu Star-Advertiser quoted him in 2019 when he pledged $40,000 to build tiny homes for homeless people living in Kalaeloa as part of the Kauhale concept, promoted by then-Lt. Gov. Josh Green and Nani Medeiros, as well as the former executive director of the nonprofit construction group HomeAid Hawaii.

HomeAid Hawaii Executive Director Kimo Carvalho, who took over the nonprofit after Medeiros resigned, said he conducted an evaluation of the nonprofit's partners shortly after he came on board in 2023 and severed ties with Routh.

“He participated in the (Kalaeloa) project with my predecessor and since then I have had no contact with him. We have been exclusive in our partnerships. We no longer ask for general aid, we are a little more exclusive in our approaches,” Carvalho said. “Mainly for reasons like this. Since we work with the government, we have to be much more diligent in selecting contractors, donors and supporters.”

Carvalho said he was not aware of any of Routh's political affiliations or views, but described him as “radical” from a business perspective.

“There have been a few in the construction industry. They are very rebellious and do things the way they want to do them. For us, they are very coordinated to keep the risk level low,” he said.

Routh's eldest son, Oran, told CNN via text message that Routh was “a loving and caring father, and an honest and hardworking man.”

The son wrote: “I don't know what happened in Florida, and I hope things just got blown out of proportion, because from what little I've heard, it doesn't seem like the man I know is doing anything crazy, much less violent.”

Tribune News Service reported that Routh voted in the North Carolina Democratic primary this spring.

They also noted that he had a lengthy criminal history in that country, including convictions between 2002 and 2010 for possession of weapons of mass destruction, carrying a concealed weapon, hit-and-run, possession of stolen property and resisting law enforcement, among other charges.

Reuters found profiles on X, Facebook and LinkedIn for a man named Ryan Routh who appeared to be the man identified as the suspect. Reuters could not confirm that these were the suspect’s accounts and law enforcement declined to comment, but public access to the Facebook and X profiles was removed hours after the shooting.

According to Reuters, the three accounts bearing Routh's name suggest he was a vocal supporter of Ukraine in its war against Russia. In several of his posts, he appeared to be trying to recruit soldiers for Ukraine's war effort.

Routh wrote several letters to the editor that were published in the Star-Advertiser. The topics he chose were generally local issues, such as graffiti and Haiku stairs, not politics.

However, his email signature included links to websites supporting Ukraine in its war against Russia.