Armed man shot and killed outside Mar-a-Lago, investigation underway
Federal investigators are working to determine why a North Carolina man showed up outside President Donald Trump’s Florida estate early Sunday morning
(NBC)- Federal investigators are working to determine why a North Carolina man showed up outside President Donald Trump’s Florida estate early Sunday morning carrying a gas can and brandishing a shotgun.
According to the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office, the incident happened around 1:30 a.m. near Mar-a-Lago.
Sheriff Ric Bradshaw said two U.S. Secret Service agents and a sheriff’s deputy confronted the man after he entered a secure area surrounding the property.
“He was ordered to drop those two pieces of equipment that he had with him,” Bradshaw said. “At which time he put down the gas can, raised the shotgun to a shooting position. At that point in time, the deputy and the two Secret Service agents fired their weapons and neutralized the threat.”
Law enforcement sources identified the suspect as 21-year-old Austin Tucker Martin of North Carolina. He was pronounced dead at the scene. Authorities say Martin’s family had reported him missing earlier Saturday.
The United States Secret Service confirmed that none of the individuals under its protection were present at Mar-a-Lago at the time of the shooting.
“We want to be clear the President of the United States was not in the state of Florida, and this remains an active investigation by the FBI,” said Rafael Barros, Special Agent in Charge of the Secret Service’s Miami Field Office.
President Trump remained in Washington over the weekend, hosting Republican governors at the White House just hours before the shooting.
“I invite everyone in this room to bring forward ideas and opportunities to better serve our people,” Trump said during the event.
The president also spent much of the weekend addressing fallout from a recent Supreme Court of the United States ruling that found many of his previously imposed tariffs on foreign imports illegal. In response, Trump announced Saturday that he would raise global tariffs to 15 percent under a different legal authority.
The shooting outside Mar-a-Lago remains under investigation by federal authorities.
