President Donald Trump boards Air Force One to depart Joint Base Andrews, Md., Friday, May 23, 2025 (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta).
A four-day trial for an Arizona man accused of threatening President Donald Trump began this week, with prosecutors saying he vowed to blow Trump”s head off with a sniper shot from 300 yards away using his military service weapon.
“Rounds targeting the head, not the ear,” Rene Ortiz threatened, according to a federal complaint filed by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Arizona.
Ortiz, who is from Casa Grande, is on trial this week after being arrested in early 2025 for allegedly making assassination threats against Trump between November and December 2024 when he was the president-elect.
Ortiz hurled the threats in documents left at federal courthouses in Phoenix and Tucson, first asking the courts to “execute the newly elected POTUS by firing an M-16A2 Service Rifle with a magazine of 6 rounds” before threatening to do it himself if his demands weren’t met, according to the complaint.
“The execution shall commence 3 days upon notice to the Defendants to this action,” Ortiz allegedly said, noting how the “6 rounds to be shot will be from 300 or 500 yards away from the target,” per the complaint.
“ANY REFUSAL OF ANY RIGHT, MR. ORTIZ WILL BE ENTITLED TO SHOT THE INCOMING FRAUDULENT ELECTED POTUS FROM 300 OR 666 YARDS AWAY WITH 666 ROUNDS FOR AN M-16A2 SERVICE RIFLE AT THE INAGURATION [sic],” Ortiz allegedly warned, noting how he had an “Expert Badge” in marksmanship, feds report.
Federal agents questioned Ortiz about the alleged threats on Dec. 5, 2024, at the Secret Service Phoenix field office. During the interview, Ortiz allegedly admitted to making them.
“When asked if Ortiz plans to shoot [Trump], Ortiz responded, ‘If my demands are not met,'” according to the complaint. “Ortiz explained his grievance is with the Department of Veterans Affairs. Ortiz explained while employed at the VA they promised to pay for his schooling if he quit working for them. Ortiz quit working at the VA and began school but has not been reimbursed for his education.”
Ortiz’s lawyers have argued that he did not mean what he said about harming the president and no danger was ever actually present, per court filings and testimony.
Ortiz’s trial is scheduled to continue Friday.
