A man from Kansas allegedly promised to shoot President Donald Trump and went on to claim he had already created a map of rooftops located near his upcoming speech, which immediately resulted in a federal investigation into him that ended with him in custody before Trump’s visit to the state. The suspect’s name is Jaden J. Read, 24, of Clearwater, Kansas.
Read was charged on October 17 with making threats against the president, according to information released by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Kansas. Law enforcement officials took Read into custody two days before Trump was scheduled to visit the city of Wichita. The probe started on October 15, after a Crime Stoppers tip was submitted that alerted authorities to comments written on a post shared by KAKE News’ account on Facebook concerning the president’s upcoming visit.
“Let’s shoot Trump honestly, where’s our shooter? I’m tired of living this money life,” Read is alleged to have written. Prosecutors say that he followed that comment up with another that claimed he had ammunition and made threats against the president. Investigators found several more threats beneath a different Facebook article from KWCH 12 News concerning the visit.
According to Fox News, Read said, “Can we shoot him in Kansas please I will myself.” Just a minute later, prosecutors say that he claimed to know where Trump would be speaking and said that he studied nearby rooftops. “IK where your speech will be. Already mapped out roofs around. Finna get kirked since yall couldn’t help him,” the comment said.
Following his arrest, Read was transferred into federal custody in Clearwater. Prosecutors say he will remain there pending a detention hearing. “Political violence and threats of political violence will not be tolerated,” U.S. Attorney Ryan A. Kriegshauser wrote in a statement on October 19. “The first Amendment allows for robust disagreement but there are constraints. I caution people to stay within the bounds of constitutionally protected speech.”
President Trump has had numerous attempts on his life, starting back in July 2024, when he was holding a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. He was wounded in the ear by a bullet, but defiantly rose to his feet and encouraged those in attendance and around the country to keep fighting for what they believed in, creating one of the most iconic images of a president in American history.
Then, on September 15, 2024, Ryan Wesley Routh attempted to kill President Trump at the Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, Florida. Routh hid in shrubbery with an SKS rifle for almost 12 hours. However, a U.S. Secret Service agent spotted the barrel of the rifle and opened fire, which led to Routh fleeing without firing a shot. He was apprehended shortly thereafter.
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Then, in May 2026, a man stormed the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner, armed with a plethora of weapons, intent on killing the president and many of his cabinet members. A Secret Service agent was shot in the chest during the incident, but his life was saved by his bulletproof vest. Cole Tomas Allen was eventually apprehended and charged.