The US Secret Service fatally shot an armed man who breached the perimeter of Mar-a-Lago, Donald Trump's Florida residence, early on Sunday. The incident occurred at around 1:30am ET when security personnel alerted agents to an intruder within the inner perimeter of the Palm Beach estate.
Sheriff Ric Bradshaw of Palm Beach County said two Secret Service agents and a deputy confronted a white male in his early 20s carrying a shotgun and a gasoline can. The suspect was ordered to drop the items but instead raised the shotgun, prompting officers to fire and kill him. No law enforcement personnel were injured.
The suspect was identified by investigators as 21-year-old Austin Tucker Martin, from North Carolina, who had been reported missing by his family days earlier. The Secret Service said he drove through the north gate as another vehicle was exiting, and a shotgun box was found in his vehicle. Investigators are compiling a psychological profile and searching for a motive.
President Trump and First Lady Melania Trump were at the White House in Washington during the incident. Mar-a-Lago operates as a private club and has been the site of previous security breaches, including a 2019 incident where a Chinese woman gained access to the lobby. The estate has also been linked to two assassination attempts on Trump in 2024.
