U.S. Secret Service agents shot and killed a man in his 20s after he tried to unlawfully enter a secure perimeter at President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort in West Palm Beach, Florida, the Secret Service said Sunday morning.
Trump, who is currently in Washington, was not at the site at the time.
The man in Sunday’s incident has been identified as Austin Tucker Martin, 21, from North Carolina, according to a source familiar with the investigation. Martin was reported missing within the last few days, according to the source.
Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw told reporters Sunday morning that a deputy and two Secret Service agents confronted the man after he entered the secure perimeter with a gas can and shotgun.
“He was ordered to drop those two pieces of equipment he had with him, at which time he put down the gas can, raised the shotgun to a shooting position,” the sheriff said.
“At that point in time, the deputy and the two Secret Service agents fired their weapons and neutralized the threat. He is deceased at the scene.”
White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt said the Secret Service “acted quickly and decisively to neutralize a crazy person, armed with a gun and a gas canister, who intruded President Trump’s home.”
Law enforcement officials did not reveal any information about the motive for the incident. The FBI has taken over the investigation and is collecting evidence from the scene, officials said.
FBI Director Kash Patel said in a social media post that the agency is “dedicating all necessary resources” to the investigation.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said he spoke with Trump after the incident. Bessent 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 on the Fox News program “Sunday Morning Futures with Maria Bartiromo.”
The United States is facing a spike in political violence. In 2024, Trump faced two assassination attempts, including one at his golf course in West Palm Beach.
Melissa Hortman, a Democratic state lawmaker in Minnesota, was shot and killed in June 2025 along with her husband. Months later, conservative activist Charlie Kirk was also assassinated.
This story has been updated.
Reuters contributed to this report.