Authorities report that law enforcement shot and killed an armed person trying to enter Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort
Early on Sunday, a man armed with a shotgun was shot and killed by the U.S. Secret Service and local police after he breached a secure perimeter at President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Florida, according to law enforcement officials.
At the time, Trump, who is presently in Washington, was not at the location. Austin Tucker Martin, a 21-year-old from North Carolina, has been identified as the individual involved in the incident on Sunday, as reported by a source familiar with the investigation. The source reports that Martin has been missing in recent days.
The incident took place during a period when the United States was experiencing an increase in political violence. In 2024, a gunman’s bullet grazed Trump’s ear during a campaign rally in Pennsylvania, and a 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 on the course. ‘A CRAZY PERSON,’ WHITE HOUSE SAYS
A man was seen carrying a shotgun and a fuel can, according to a statement from the U.S. Secret Service, which noted that he was observed at the resort’s north gate at approximately 1:30 a.m. EST (0630 GMT).
On Sunday morning, Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw stated at a press conference that two U.S. Secret Service agents and a deputy from the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s office confronted the man and instructed him to drop the two items.
According to Bradshaw, the man set the gas can aside and lifted the shotgun “to a shooting position,” which led law enforcement to discharge their weapons.
The individual was pronounced deceased at the location. No law enforcement officers sustained injuries.
Karoline Leavitt, a spokesperson for the White House, stated that the Secret Service “acted swiftly and effectively to neutralize an individual, armed with a gun and a gas canister, who entered President Trump’s residence.”
FBI Launches Investigation
Law enforcement officials have not disclosed any details regarding the motive behind the incident. Officials stated that the FBI has assumed control of the investigation and is gathering evidence from the scene.
FBI Director Kash Patel stated in a social media post that the agency is “dedicating all necessary resources” to the investigation.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent mentioned that he had a conversation with Trump following the incident. Bessent expressed gratitude to the Secret Service for their protection of the president and his family. “We’re uncertain if this individual was a mastermind, unhinged, or something else,” Bessent stated during the Fox News program “Sunday Morning Futures with Maria Bartiromo.”
In 2024, Trump encountered two assassination attempts, one of which occurred at his golf course in West Palm Beach. This month, the individual responsible for that incident received a life sentence in prison.
In June 2025, Melissa Hortman, a Democratic state lawmaker from Minnesota, was tragically shot and killed alongside her husband. Months later, conservative activist Charlie Kirk was also killed.
