Agents of the United States Secret Service fatally shot an armed man who entered the security perimeter of President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida in the early hours of Sunday.
According to officials, the incident occurred at about 1:30 a.m. (0630 GMT). Trump was in Washington at the time.
Authorities said the suspect, believed to be in his early 20s, was observed near the north gate of the Mar-a-Lago property carrying a shotgun and a fuel can. The estate, located in Palm Beach, serves as the president’s private residence and frequent weekend retreat.
Law enforcement officers confronted the individual and instructed him to drop the weapon and other items. Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw told reporters that the suspect initially put down the fuel can but then raised the shotgun.
“The only words that we said to him was ‘drop the items,’” Bradshaw said.
“At which time he put down the gas can, raised the shotgun to a shooting position,” he added.
A deputy and two Secret Service agents subsequently opened fire. The man was pronounced dead at the scene. No law enforcement personnel were injured during the encounter.
The Secret Service confirmed that no protectees were present at Mar-a-Lago when the breach occurred.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt attributed ongoing security pressures to a partial government shutdown affecting the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), which oversees the Secret Service.
“It’s shameful and reckless that Democrats have chosen to shut down their Department,” she wrote on X.
Democratic lawmakers have resisted approving additional funding for DHS, citing concerns over the administration’s deportation policies and calling for significant reforms before supporting new allocations.
Political Violence On The Rise
Trump, who frequently spends weekends at Mar-a-Lago, has faced multiple assassination plots and attempts in recent years.
Earlier this month, Ryan Routh, 59, was sentenced to life imprisonment for plotting to assassinate the president at a Florida golf course in September 2024, two months before the last U.S. election.
That plot followed an assassination attempt in Pennsylvania in which 20-year-old Matthew Crooks fired several shots during a rally, with one bullet grazing Trump’s right ear. The incident left a rally attendee dead and marked a significant moment in Trump’s political resurgence. Crooks was shot and killed by security personnel at the scene, and investigators have not publicly established a clear motive.
Political tensions in the United States have intensified amid deep partisan divisions and increasingly heated rhetoric.
In September last year, conservative commentator Charlie Kirk was shot dead during an event at a university in Utah.
Months earlier, in June, Minnesota Democratic lawmaker Melissa Hortman and her husband were killed at their home in a targeted attack. Another elected official and his spouse were also shot and seriously injured in the same episode.
Additionally, Josh Shapiro, the governor of Pennsylvania and once considered a potential presidential contender, had his residence set on fire in April in what authorities described as an attempted assassination.
The suspect was later named as Austin Tucker Martin, 21, from North Carolina.
The Secret Service is tasked with protecting the president, vice president, former presidents and their families, as well as major election candidates and visiting foreign dignitaries.
What You Should Know
Secret Service agents shot and killed an armed man who breached the security perimeter of President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate in the early hours of Sunday.
The suspect reportedly raised a shotgun after being ordered to disarm. No protectees were present and no officers were injured.
The incident comes amid heightened concerns over political violence in the United States following several recent assassination plots and attacks targeting political figures.
