Trump's First Assassination Attempt
Before Thomas Crooks attempted to assassinate the former President, there was Michael Steven Sandford who tried to assassinate Trump in 2016 when he was to run for president.
Before 20-year-old Thomas Crooks attempted to kill former President Trump, there was Michael Steven Sandford, a British man who was the same age as Crooks tried to assassinate Donald Trump before he became the President-Elect in 2016. He didn't shoot Trump or anyone else. This is how it all unfolded.
Warning: Political Violence.
Michael Steven Sandford was born in 1997 in Dorking, Surrey to his parents: Paul Davey and Lynne. When Sandford was young, his parents were separated. At the age of two, He was diagnosed with Aspergers Syndrome, Obsessive Complex Disorder (OCD), and other mental disorders.
Neighbors and former classmates described Sandford as a quiet person, who loves building robots and watching Robot Wars. Sandford claims to his parents that he is dating an "American girl" he met online and he wants to move to America just to be "close with her". His parents gave him the money to travel to the U.S. to live closer to his girlfriend. Davey said he didn’t know if the couple were still together as his son rarely shared details of his private life. According to his family, Sandford never showed his political interest. However, Sandford's close friends expressed his hate towards Donald Trump and wanted to kill him. Sandford moved to New Jersey and contacted his family via Skype. Sandford was on a visa, his parents sent him money to pay for rent for his apartment and never worked in the US.
On June 16, 2016, Sandford drove to Las Vegas, where he visited the shooting range Battlefield Vegas for instruction and practiced shooting a rented 9mm Glock 17 pistol. It was his first time using a firearm to shoot at a shooting range. After firing 20 rounds from a 9mm Glock pistol, Sandford decided he was ready to make his assassination attempt. Instead of staying at a hotel, Sandford was staying in his car before the event.
June 18, 2016
It was the near afternoon at Mystère Theatre, Treasure Island Hotel and Casino, Paradise, Nevada. The Crowd at the Theatre was filled with Trump supporters wearing MAGA hats, MAGA signs, and MAGA attire while Sandford was in attendance wearing a MAGA sticker at the event. As Trump was speaking at the event, Sandford got up from his seat to look for a police officer with a gun around their waist. He noticed an officer and alledgy tried to ask if he could get an autograph from Trump. Sandford tried to grab the glock from the holster however it was stuck, the officer grabbed Sandford for trying to take the gun and pinned Sandford to the ground. The crowd including Trump who was speaking noticed the quarrel. Officers handcuffed Sandford and led him to the exit.
The crowd boos at Sandford and cheers for the authorities from stopping it from happening. Trump continued his speech and said:
"We love you, police. Thank you. Thank you, officers."
as Sandford was led out of the arena. Officers handed him to the Secret Services. When asked why he tried to grab the gun from the police officer, he confessed he wanted to kill Donald Trump to stop him from running for president. His parents were informed by authorities about the incident. Following his arrest, Sandford was held in the Nevada Southern Detention Center. Due to his mental health conditions, Sandford was kept in solitary confinement and repeatedly put under suicide watch. On June 20, 2016, a complaint was filed with the United States District Court for the District of Nevada charging Sandford with committing an act of violence on restricted ground. Public Defender Heather Fraley argued that Sandford should be bailed to a halfway house given his lack of a criminal record, but he was denied bail by Judge George Foley Jr.
His parents were begging him to come home and grew increasingly concerned over the last three months. His father told the local Portsmouth paper The News that he had recently become "upset" but they didn't know why because his Asperger's syndrome made it very hard to express his emotions. Sandford pleaded guilty to charges of being an illegal alien in possession of a firearm and impeding and disrupting the orderly conduct. He was sentenced to 12 months in prison.
Sandford was released after serving less than half of the sentence. Sandford expressed his regret for trying to assassinate Trump and apologized to everyone including his family. BBC produced a documentary about the incident and various issues concerning mental health and treatment for individuals affected by disorders. Months later after the incident, Trump was elected President. Sandford returned to UK to undergo mental health treatment. Years since the incident, it is unclear what happened to Sandford or where is it at currently but I am pretty sure he has remained hidden in the UK.
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About the Creator
Gladys W. Muturi
Hello, My name is Gladys W. Muturi. I am an Actress, Writer, Filmmaker, Producer, and Mother of 1.
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