President, First Lady were at White House when breach occurred
Washington : An armed man drove into the secure perimeter of Mar-a-Lago, President Donald Trump’s resort in Palm Beach, Florida, before being shot and killed early Sunday morning, according to a spokesman for the US Secret Service.
The man, who was in his early 20s and from North Carolina, had a gas can and a shotgun, according to Anthony Guglielmi, the spokesman.
He had been reported missing by his family a few days ago, and investigators believe he headed south and picked up the shotgun along the way.
The man killed was identified by investigators as 21-year-old Austin Tucker Martin, according to a person familiar with the matter.
The President and First Lady Melania Trump were at the White House when the breach at Mar-a-Lago occurred.
The US has been rocked multiple times by political violence. In just the past year, conservative activist Charlie Kirk was assassinated, as was the Democratic leader in the Minnesota state House and her husband. Another Minnesota lawmaker and his wife were shot, and there was an arson attack at Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro’s home.
On Sunday afternoon, vehicles blocked the entrance to a property listed in public records as an address for the suspect who was shot and killed at Mar-a-Lago.
The property is at the end of rugged and sandy private road in Cameron, North Carolina.
A few modest homes sit along the road, which is surrounded by pine trees.
Attorney General Pam Bondi said in a post on X that she had been speaking with the President and “coordinating with our federal partners throughout the morning regarding the intrusion and shooting at Mar-A-Lago.”
She added that she is grateful that Trump “and our law enforcement agents are safe”.
FBI Director Kash Patel said in post on X that the bureau would be “dedicating all necessary resources” to the investigation.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a post on X:
“In the middle of the night while most Americans were asleep, the United States Secret Service acted quickly and decisively to neutralise a crazy person, armed with a gun and a gas canister, who intruded President Trump’s home. Federal law enforcement are working 24/7 to keep our country safe and protect all Americans. It’s shameful and reckless that Democrats have chosen to shut down their Department.”
Though details of the armed man’s motive for entering the Mar-a-Lago perimeter are not yet known, US treasury secretary Scott Bessent, in a Fox News interview on Sunday morning, reacted by criticising Democratic rhetoric.
“This existential threat that’s venom from the left really has to stop,” said Bessent, who added he had just spoken with Trump.
Palm Beach County Sheriff Rick Bradshaw said the man was confronted by two Secret Service agents and a sheriff’s deputy.
“He was ordered to drop those two pieces of equipment that he had with them. At which time he put down the gas can, raised the shotgun to a shooting position,” Bradshaw said.
The two agents and the deputy “fired their weapons to neutralise the threat”.
Investigators are working to compile a psychological profile and a motive is still under investigation.
Asked whether the individual was known to law enforcement, Bradshaw said, “Not right now.”
The FBI asked area residents who live near Mar-a-Lago to check any security cameras they may have for footage that could help investigators.
