A 21‑year‑old North Carolina man who was shot and killed early on Sunday while attempting to enter the secure perimeter of US President Donald Trump’s Mar‑a‑Lago estate was known among friends and on social media for creating dark, moody watercolours and sketches of golf courses, according to the New York Post.
The man was identified by authorities as Austin Tucker Martin, who lived in Cameron, North Carolina and had been reported missing by his family days before the incident. US Secret Service agents and a Palm Beach County sheriff’s deputy shot him after he breached the inner security perimeter at Mar‑a‑Lago on Sunday morning.
Law enforcement officers say Martin drove into the secure area near the north gate at about 1.30 am local time, carrying a shotgun and a fuel can.
Officers ordered him to drop the items. When he lowered the fuel can but then raised the shotgun in a threatening position, agents and the deputy opened fire, killing him at the scene. Trump and first lady Melania Trump were not at the estate at the time, as they were in Washington.
Black and white sketches of golf courses
Martin’s social media accounts showed artwork that focused on golf courses in the Sandhills region of North Carolina, including Quail Ridge Golf Course, roughly 15‑20 miles north of his home, according to reporting on his online posts.
The sketches and watercolours were often in bleak tones and largely monochrome, suggesting a deep interest in the landscapes of the courses rather than social or personal pictures.
Donald Trump is a keen golf player and often plays at golf courses he owns in the US and abroad. The POTUS has said golf is his main form of exercise and has been photographed on the greens many times.
Martin’s social media posts showed mostly his artwork and not much else, and investigators have not said that his interest in art had anything to do with what he did at Mar‑a‑Lago or explained why he tried to enter the secure area.
Officials found a box for the firearm in Martin’s vehicle and believe he may have obtained the weapon during his journey south from North Carolina. The FBI is now leading the inquiry into the incident, as confirmed by director Kash Patel.
