Washington: A man armed with a shotgun was shot and killed early Sunday after breaching a secure perimeter at President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Florida, Reuters reported.
The incident occurred around 1:30 am at Mar-a-Lago, where the man was observed near the resort’s north gate carrying a shotgun and a fuel can, according to a statement from the US Secret Service. Trump, who was in Washington at the time, was not present at the property.
Law enforcement officials identified the man as Austin Tucker Martin, 21, of North Carolina. A source familiar with the investigation said Martin had been reported missing in recent days.
Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw said at a Sunday morning press conference that two Secret Service agents and a deputy from the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office confronted the suspect and ordered him to drop the weapon and the fuel can.
Bradshaw said the man put down the gas can but raised the shotgun “to a shooting position,” prompting officers to open fire. He was pronounced dead at the scene. No law enforcement personnel were injured.
The episode comes amid heightened concerns over political violence in the United States. In 2024, Trump was grazed by a bullet during a campaign rally in Pennsylvania, and in a separate incident, a man later convicted of attempted assassination was discovered hiding near a Florida golf course while Trump was present.
White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt said in a statement that the 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.”
The investigation into Sunday’s shooting remains ongoing.