Law enforcement officials say suspect raised shotgun after being ordered to drop weapon and gas can.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
U.S. Secret Service agents shot and killed an armed man early Sunday after he entered the secure perimeter of President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago residence in Palm Beach, Florida, authorities said.
The confrontation occurred at approximately 1:30 a.m., when members of the protective detail detected an individual inside the inner security boundary of the property. Two Secret Service agents and a deputy from the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office responded to investigate.
In an initial statement posted on X, Secret Service Chief of Communications Anthony Guglielmi wrote: “An armed man was shot & killed by U.S. Secret Service agents & @PBCountySheriff after unlawfully entering the secure perimeter at Mar-a-Lago early this morning. A press briefing with additional details will be held at 9:00 a.m with @FBI and Palm Beach County.”
Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw said during the morning press conference that deputies and agents encountered a white male in his early 20s carrying a shotgun and a gas can.
“They confronted a white male that was carrying a gas can and a shotgun,” Bradshaw told reporters. “He was ordered to drop those two pieces of equipment that he had with him and, at which time he put down the gas can, raised the shotgun to a shooting position, and at that point in time the deputy and the two Secret Service agents fired their weapons and neutralized the threat. He is deceased at the scene.”
Federal and local officials did not immediately release a motive.
The suspect was later identified as Austin Tucker Martin. According to a Sunday afternoon Facebook post from the Moore County Sheriff’s Office, a relative reported the 21-year-old missing at approximately 1:38 a.m. on Feb. 22. The office stated that he was entered into a national missing persons database before being notified by federal authorities of an active investigation in Florida involving Martin. “At their request, the missing person case information has been turned over to federal investigators,” the statement said.
President Trump was not at Mar-a-Lago at the time of the incident. He and first lady Melania Trump were in Washington, D.C., where they hosted the nation’s governors for a dinner event at the White House on Saturday evening.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt addressed the incident in a post on X, writing: “In the middle of the night while most Americans were asleep, the United States Secret Service acted quickly and decisively to neutralize a crazy person, armed with a gun and a gas canister, who intruded President Trump’s home. Federal law enforcement are working 24/7 to keep our country safe and protect all Americans. It’s shameful and reckless that Democrats have chosen to shut down their Department.”
The FBI is participating in the investigation alongside local authorities.
The security breach comes after two previously reported assassination attempts against Trump during the 2024 campaign cycle. On Sept. 15, 2024, an attempt at the Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach was reported and later detailed in coverage of prior assassination attempts. Earlier, on July 13, 2024, Trump was wounded during a campaign rally in Butler County, Pennsylvania when a bullet grazed his ear.
Authorities said the investigation into Sunday’s shooting remains ongoing.
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