A 21-year-old North Carolina man carrying a shotgun and a gas can was shot and killed by Secret Service agents and a Palm Beach County sheriff's deputy early Sunday morning after he breached the secure perimeter of President Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Florida.
The suspect has been identified as Austin Tucker Martin. He did not survive the encounter.
According to Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw, Martin made an unauthorized entry through the north gate of the resort around 1:30 a.m. Agents and a deputy confronted him almost immediately. What happened next left no room for ambiguity. Bradshaw told reporters:
"They confronted a white male that was carrying a gas can and a shotgun. He was ordered to drop those two pieces of equipment that he had with him – at which time he put down the gas can, raised the shotgun to a shooting position."
"At that point in time, the deputy and the two Secret Service agents fired their weapons and neutralized the threat."
Martin was pronounced dead at the scene. Bradshaw confirmed that the suspect did not exchange any words with the officers before raising his weapon, Fox News reported.
A swift, coordinated response
President Trump was at the White House at the time of the breach. He frequently spends weekends at Mar-a-Lago, which makes the security implications no less serious.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt posted on X 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."
FBI Director Kash Patel confirmed that the Bureau is committing its full weight to the investigation, posting on X that the FBI is:
"Dedicating all necessary resources in the investigation of this morning's incident."
Patel added that the FBI would continue working closely with the Secret Service and state and federal partners. The incident is now under joint investigation by the FBI, the U.S. Secret Service, and the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office.
What we know about the suspect
Martin traveled from North Carolina to South Florida. Secret Service spokesman Anthony Guglielmi said Martin is believed to have bought the shotgun while traveling south, and that authorities discovered the weapon's box inside his vehicle.
Around 1:38 a.m. Sunday, just minutes after the breach, a relative reported Martin missing to the Moore County Sheriff's Office. He was entered into a national missing person database, and the Moore County Sheriff's Office said it had turned over the missing person case information to federal authorities.
Officials said they are working to compile a psychological profile as part of the investigation. FBI Miami Special Agent in Charge Brett Skiles said the Bureau's evidence response team is processing the scene and collecting evidence, and urged nearby residents to review exterior cameras from Saturday night into early Sunday morning.
"If you see anything that looks suspicious or out of place, please contact us."
The security question that never goes away
This is not an abstract threat. President Trump faced two assassination attempts during his 2024 campaign. That history makes every perimeter breach at Mar-a-Lago a matter of the gravest national security concern, regardless of whether the president was physically present at the time.
The men and women who guard the president did exactly what they are trained to do. A suspect armed with a shotgun raised it into a shooting position at law enforcement officers. They responded with lethal force. There is nothing ambiguous about what happened, and there should be nothing ambiguous about the public reaction.
The harder question is what drove a 21-year-old to load a shotgun and a gas can into his vehicle, drive from North Carolina to Palm Beach, and breach the secured perimeter of a presidential residence in the middle of the night. That is what the psychological profile and the broader investigation will need to answer.
In the meantime, the facts are plain. An armed man forced entry onto the grounds of the president's home. He was given a lawful order to drop his weapon. He refused. He raised it instead.
Three officers were fired. The threat ended where it began.
