A man was fatally shot by Secret Service personnel after entering the restricted perimeter of Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago property, with authorities now identifying the suspect.
Police say the individual was spotted near the north gate of the Florida estate early Sunday (February 22), and was allegedly carrying a shotgun along with a gas canister.
The deceased has been named as Austin Tucker Martin, 21, an illustrator from Cameron, North Carolina. Investigators believe he had been reported missing by relatives the day before.
Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw said agents encountered Martin at roughly 1.30am.
Bradshaw said that Martin had ‘raised the shotgun to a shooting position’.
He added: “At that point in time, the deputy and the two Secret Service agents fired their weapons.”
Martin was pronounced dead at the scene, according to officials.
Bradshaw said investigators are still working to establish the circumstances leading up to the shooting, and no motive has been confirmed.
Authorities also noted that Trump was not at Mar-a-Lago at the time of the incident.
“There’s a lot more investigation to be done,” the sheriff said. “Fortunately, nobody was in jeopardy inside because of the quick action that was taken by the deputies and the Secret Service.”
Following the shooting, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt posted on X that agents ‘acted quickly and decisively to neutralize a crazy person’, adding that the individual had ‘intruded President Trump’s home’.
FBI Director Kash Patel said the bureau was ‘dedicating all necessary resources in the investigation’ into what happened.
“We will continue working closely with @SecretService as well our state and federal partners and will provide updates as we are able,” he added.
In a statement released Sunday morning, Secret Service Chief of Communication Anthony Guglielmi said: “On February 22, around 1.30am, a male in his early 20s was shot by US Secret Service agents and deputy from the Palm Beach county sheriff’s office (PBSO) following an unauthorised entry in the secure perimeter at Mar-a-Lago.
“The individual, whose identity is being withheld pending notification of next of kin, was pronounced deceased. The individual was observed by the north gate of the Mar-a-Lago property carrying what appeared to be a shotgun and a fuel can.
“US Secret Service agents and a PBSO deputy confronted the individual and shots were fire by law enforcement during the encounter. No US Secret Service or PBSO personnel were injured. There were no Secret Service protectees at the location at the time of the incident.”