A 21-year-old North Carolina man armed with a shotgun and a fuel can was shot and killed by law enforcement early Sunday after breaching the secure perimeter of President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort, authorities said.
The suspect, identified as Austin Tucker Martin from Cameron, North Carolina, entered the property through the north gate around 1:30 a.m. as a guest was exiting, according to officials. Trump was not at the resort—he was at the White House in Washington at the time of the incident.
Two U.S. Secret Service agents and a Palm Beach County Sheriff’s deputy confronted Martin and ordered him to drop the items he was carrying. Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw described what happened next:
“The only words that we said to him were ‘drop the items, ‘ which means the gas can and the shotgun,” Bradshaw told a news conference Sunday morning. “At which time he put down the gas can, raised the shotgun to a shooting position”.
At that point, agents fired their weapons to “neutralize the threat,” Bradshaw said. Martin was pronounced dead at the scene. No law enforcement officers were injured.
The Suspect
Martin was reported missing by his family just hours before the incident. The Moore County Sheriff’s Office in North Carolina said a relative approached a deputy around 1:38 a.m. Sunday to report him missing, and he was entered into a national database.
Officials are investigating whether Martin purchased the shotgun while driving south from North Carolina to Florida. A box for the weapon was later found in his car.
The FBI has taken over the investigation. FBI Director Kash Patel said in a social media post that the agency is “dedicating all necessary resources” to the probe.
Law enforcement officials have not revealed any information about a possible motive.
‘A Crazy Person,’ White House Says
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt praised the Secret Service’s response, saying federal agents “acted quickly and decisively to neutralize a crazy person, armed with a gun and a gas canister, who intruded on President Trump’s home”.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told Fox News he spoke with Trump after the incident and thanked the Secret Service for protecting the president and his family. “We don’t know whether this person was a mastermind, unhinged, or what,” Bessent said.
The officers involved in the shooting were wearing body cameras, Bradshaw confirmed. In accordance with agency policy, the Secret Service agents will be placed on routine administrative leave pending the outcome of the investigation.
Security at Mar-a-Lago
Security at Mar-a-Lago remains extremely tight even when Trump is away, with an outer cordon of local Palm Beach sheriffs and an inner one maintained by the Secret Service. Visitors are searched, and cars and bags are swept by dogs and metal detectors.
The incident on Sunday morning briefly disrupted the busy winter season in Palm Beach, with access to South Ocean Boulevard partially blocked to cars as of 10:30 a.m. But joggers and dog walkers continued to pepper the streets, and hotel guests at the trademark pink Colony Hotel moved about normally.
A Pattern of Violence
The Mar-a-Lago incident was the latest in multiple security threats Trump has faced as president and while campaigning.
In July 2024, Trump was shot in the ear during a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. The shooter, 20-year-old Matthew Crooks, was killed by security forces. One bystander was killed and two others injured.
Months later, in September 2024, a Secret Service agent spotted a rifle sticking out of bushes at Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, just miles from Mar-a-Lago. The man, Ryan Routh, fled but was caught. He was sentenced earlier this month to life in prison for attempting to assassinate Trump.
The Secret Service faced intense scrutiny after the Pennsylvania shooting, with investigations showing the agency had received reports about the suspicious gunman about an hour before the attack.
What’s Next
The FBI, Secret Service, and Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office are conducting a joint investigation into the incident, including Martin’s background, potential motive, and the use of force.
FBI Special Agent Brett Skiles asked residents living near Mar-a-Lago to check their security cameras for any suspicious activity overnight and report any relevant footage.
The Moore County Sheriff’s Office in North Carolina said it has turned over all missing person case information to federal investigators.
For now, the question of why a 21-year-old from North Carolina drove 700 miles to a president’s Florida estate with a shotgun and a fuel can remains unanswered. The investigation continues.
