An armed man was killed by authorities after he illegally entered the premises of President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago property in Florida early Sunday morning, the Secret Service announced.
The incident unfolded around 1:30 a.m. when a man, identified by authorities as 21-year-old Austin Tucker Martin, was fatally shot by the presidential security detail and a deputy with the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office after driving into the security perimeter as another vehicle was leaving, a Secret Service spokesman said.
During a press conference held by the FBI and Palm Beach County, Sheriff Rick Bradshaw said the man was wielding a shotgun and a gas can. After entering the inner perimeter, Bradshaw said the man lowered the gas can and raised his shotgun before being shot by two Secret Service agents and a sheriff’s deputy.
Neither Trump nor any other person under the Secret Service’s protection was present at Mar-a-Lago at the time of the incident, Secret Service chief of communications Anthony Guglielmi said in a statement.
The president’s public schedule for Sunday shows him at the White House. Normally, he travels to his Florida resort on weekends.
Rafael Barros, special agent in charge of the Secret Service’s field office in Miami, confirmed Trump was not in Florida at the time of the incident. No law enforcement personnel were harmed.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt released a statement on social media, blaming Democrats for withholding funding from the Department of Homeland Security as the incident played out.
“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,” Leavitt wrote on X. “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.”
Trump has not publicly commented on the incident yet but was informed about the situation by Attorney General Pam Bondi.
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Martin had been reported missing by his family days before, according to the Associated Press. More than one vehicle blocked access to the suspect’s property listed as his address in Cameron, North Carolina, with authorities believing he acquired the shotgun on the drive to Florida.
The FBI is leading the investigation with assistance from the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office. Authorities promised more details as the investigation develops.
