US Secret Service and local police shot and killed a man carrying a shotgun early Sunday after he breached a secure perimeter at Mar-a-Lago, the residence of US President Donald Trump, reuters reported, citing law enforcement officials.
Trump, who is currently in Washington, was not at the site at the time. The man in Sunday’s incident was identified as Austin Tucker Martin, 21, from North Carolina, reuters reported, citing a source familiar with the investigation.
Martin was reported missing within the last few days, according to the source. The incident occurred at a time when the United States is facing a spike in political violence.
In 2024, a gunman’s bullet grazed Trump’s ear during a campaign rally in Pennsylvania, and another man—later convicted of attempted assassination—was seen hiding in the bushes of a Florida golf course with a semi-automatic rifle while Trump was present on the course.
‘A crazy person’: White House
The man was carrying a shotgun and a fuel can, the US Secret Service said in a statement, adding that he was observed at the resort’s north gate around 1:30 am EST (0630 GMT), reuters reported.
Two US Secret Service agents and a Palm Beach County Sheriff’s deputy confronted the man and ordered him to drop the two items, Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw said at a press conference on Sunday morning.
The man put down the gas can and raised the shotgun “to a shooting position,” prompting law enforcement to open fire, Bradshaw said, Reuters reported.
The man was declared dead at the scene. No law enforcement officers were injured.
White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt said 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.”
FBI heads investigation
Law enforcement officials have not disclosed any details regarding the motive behind the incident. The FBI has taken over the investigation and is gathering evidence from the scene, officials said, reuters reported.
Kash Patel stated on social media that the agency is “dedicating all necessary resources” to the investigation.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessant said he spoke with Trump after the incident. Bessant thanked the Secret Service for protecting the president and his family.
“We don’t know whether this person was a mastermind, unhinged or what,” Bessent said on the Fox News program “Sunday Morning Futures with Maria Bartiromo.”
Assassination attempts on Trump
Trump has faced previous threats to his life. He was injured during an assassination attempt at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on July 13, 2024.
Later, on September 15, 2024, a man armed with a rifle was apprehended after waiting near Trump’s golf course in West Palm Beach while the president was playing. The man was sentenced to life in prison earlier this month, AP reported.
The incident comes as the US has been rocked multiple times in recent years by political violence.
Last year saw a string of high‑profile political attacks, including the killing of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, the assassination of the Democratic leader of the Minnesota state House and her husband, the shooting of another lawmaker and his spouse, and an arson attack on the official residence of Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro.
(With inputs from agencies)
