An armed man shot dead by US Secret Service agents after breaching the security perimeter of President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida has been identified by investigators as 21-year-old Austin Tucker Martin of North Carolina, officials said on Sunday.
Martin drove through the north gate of the Palm Beach property at about 1:30 am (local time) as another vehicle exited and was confronted by two Secret Service agents and a Palm Beach County sheriff’s deputy, authorities said. He was carrying a shotgun and a petrol canister.
Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw said officers ordered the suspect to drop the items. “He put down the gas can, raised the shotgun to a shooting position,” Bradshaw said. The agents and deputy then “fired their weapons to neutralize the threat.”
SUSPECT FROM NORTH CAROLINA, REPORTED MISSING
Secret Service spokesman Anthony Guglielmi said Martin had been reported missing by his family several days earlier. He believes Martin travelled from North Carolina toward Florida and obtained the shotgun during the journey. A box for the firearm was later recovered from his vehicle.
Authorities are examining his background and movements and working to establish a motive.
The FBI, Secret Service and Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office are jointly investigating the incident. FBI Director Kash Patel said the bureau was dedicating “all necessary resources” to the case and working with federal and local partners.
The Secret Service have asked residents near Mar-a-Lago to review home security footage from the early-morning hours and provide any relevant images or video.
TRUMP BRIEFED ON SHOOTING
Attorney General Pam Bondi said she had spoken with Trump and was “coordinating with our federal partners throughout the morning regarding the intrusion and shooting at Mar-A-Lago.”
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt also praised the Secret Service response, saying agents acted “quickly and decisively to neutralize” an armed intruder. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, speaking on television, condemned what he described as hostile political rhetoric and said he had also spoken with the President.
Authorities emphasised that the motive for the intrusion remains under investigation.
The breach is the latest in a series of threats involving Trump. In July 2024, he was wounded during an assassination attempt at a campaign rally in Pennsylvania. Two months later, an armed man was arrested with firearms near Trump’s West Palm Beach golf course while the President was playing.
With inputs from agencies
