Secret Service agents fatally shot a 21-year-old North Carolina man who breached the secure perimeter at President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate early Sunday morning while carrying a shotgun and fuel canister.
An armed man was shot & killed by U.S. Secret Service agents & @PBCountySheriff after unlawfully entering the secure perimeter at Mar-a-Lago early this morning. A press briefing with additional details will be held at 9:00 a.m with @FBI and Palm Beach County. pic.twitter.com/jAXhdb1xEL
— Anthony Guglielmi (@AJGuglielmi) February 22, 2026
Austin Tucker Martin of Cameron, North Carolina, entered the property around 1:30 a.m. ET through the north gate as an employee’s vehicle was exiting. He made it approximately 20 to 30 yards before law enforcement confronted him, according to CNN.
Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw told reporters that two Secret Service agents and a deputy approached Martin and ordered him to drop what he was carrying.
“He was ordered to drop those two pieces of equipment that he had with him, at which time he put down the gas can, raised the shotgun to a shooting position,” Bradshaw said at a Sunday news conference.
Secret Service released a photo of the shotgun and gas can from the Mar-a-Lago shooting this morning. pic.twitter.com/mD2zMjBbeb
— Andrew Leyden (@PenguinSix) February 23, 2026
All officers involved were wearing body cameras during the encounter. No law enforcement personnel were injured. Authorities have not confirmed whether Martin’s shotgun was loaded.
Martin’s family in North Carolina reported him missing shortly before the incident, according to BBC News. The Moore County Sheriff’s Office said it had no prior history involving Martin.
Investigators stated that they believe he purchased the shotgun during his drive south from North Carolina, with a box for the weapon later discovered in his vehicle.
The FBI is leading the investigation and is working to determine Martin’s motive. Secret Service agents involved in the shooting have been placed on administrative leave in accordance with agency policy. Director Sean Curran traveled to Florida on Sunday for what the agency described as an after-action review.
I have been speaking with President Trump and coordinating with our federal partners throughout the morning regarding the intrusion and shooting at Mar-A-Lago.
Grateful that @potus and our law enforcement agents are safe.
— Attorney General Pamela Bondi (@AGPamBondi) February 22, 2026
Prior Assassination Attempts
The breach marks the latest security incident targeting Trump amid a broader pattern of political violence in the United States. In July 2024, a gunman shot at Trump during a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, wounding him in the ear before being killed by a Secret Service sniper. One rally attendee was killed.
Two months later, another man was arrested after positioning himself with a rifle outside a golf course where Trump was playing in West Palm Beach. Ryan Routh was convicted of attempting to assassinate the president and was sentenced to life in prison earlier this month.
Officials have stated that neither President Trump or First Lady Melania Trump were on the premises during the latest incident.
