Secret Service agents and a Palm Beach County deputy shot and killed a man who entered the secure perimeter at President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida with “what appeared to be a shotgun and a fuel can,” the Secret Service announced in a statement on Sunday.
The suspect’s identity has not officially been released “pending notification of next of kin,” the statement said. Two law enforcement sources identified the suspect to NBC News as Austin Tucker Martin, 21, of North Carolina.
A man with that name was reported missing, his mother posted Sunday morning on Facebook. Local police declined to comment when they were asked whether Martin was still considered a missing person.
Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw said at a news conference that a deputy and two Secret Service agents went to investigate when the security detail detected that someone had entered the Florida club’s perimeter.
“They confronted a white male that was carrying a gas can and a shotgun,” Bradshaw said. “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,” he continued. “He is deceased at the scene.”
No law enforcement officers were injured, the Secret Service statement said.
Trump wasn’t at Mar-a-Lago. He spoke Saturday evening at the White House Governors Dinner in Washington.
Reached for comment, the White House referred NBC News to the Secret Service and the FBI.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said on X that the Secret Service “acted quickly and decisively to neutralize a crazy person.”
“Federal law enforcement are working 24/7 to keep our country safe and protect all Americans,” she said, going on to criticize Democrats while referring to the Secret Service’s operating within the Department of Homeland Security, which is in a shutdown.
The Secret Service statement said, “The incident, including the individual’s background, actions, potential motive, and the use of force, is under investigation by the FBI, the U.S. Secret Service, and the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office.”
The Secret Service agents involved in the shooting will be on administrative leave “pending the outcome of the investigation,” which is routine agency policy, the statement said.
FBI Director Kash Patel said on X that the FBI “is dedicating all necessary resources in the investigation of this morning’s incident at President Trump’s Mar-A-Lago.”
Trump has previously faced two assassination attempts amid a rise in violence and threats against political figures in the U.S.
In 2024, Trump was shot at during a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. A bullet grazed his ear, and a rally attendee was killed. Later that year, a man with a rifle was found hiding in shrubbery at Trump’s golf club. The suspect, Ryan Routh, was sentenced to life in prison after he was found guilty of attempting to assassinate Trump.
Last week, a man was arrested after he rushed toward the Capitol with a loaded shotgun.
The incident comes amid heightened concerns over political violence. U.S. Capitol Police said in a report released last month that they investigated 14,938 cases last year, a spike from the 9,474 in 2024. Conservative activist Charlie Kirk was shot and killed in September. Minnesota state Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband were shot and killed, and state Sen. John Hoffman and his wife were severely injured in a shooting that authorities say was carried out by the same person.
