A 21-year-old man was fatally shot by security personnel after entering the grounds of Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach County, Florida, early Sunday morning. The man, identified as Austin Tucker Martin of North Carolina, was carrying a gas canister and a shotgun when he was confronted by Secret Service agents and a local sheriff’s deputy.
According to Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw, deputies were alerted to a possible intruder within the inner perimeter of the property around 1:30 a.m. Martin was instructed to drop the canister and weapon. He complied with the request to drop the canister, but then raised the shotgun, prompting the law enforcement officers to open fire. Martin died at the scene.
Authorities have yet to establish a clear motive for the incident. Though, reports indicate Martin had recently shared messages referencing the so-called “Epstein files” with a colleague, expressing concerns about what he perceived as a “state cover-up” related to the Jeffrey Epstein case. The colleague told investigators Martin believed powerful individuals were “getting away with it.”
Martin’s family reportedly holds strong political views in support of Donald Trump. Clarice Bonillo, Martin’s former instructor in the Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps, described his family as “very pro-Trump-oriented.” His cousin, Braeden Fields, confirmed the family’s staunch support for the former president, though he noted Martin himself rarely discussed politics.
Fields described Martin as a quiet, sensitive individual with artistic interests, working on a golf course and creating watercolor paintings of golf courses. He added that Martin donated portions of his earnings. The family reported Martin missing shortly before the incident at Mar-a-Lago.
Law enforcement officials confirmed Martin had no prior criminal record. The officers involved in the shooting were equipped with body cameras, and the incident is under investigation. Trump was not present at Mar-a-Lago at the time of the shooting.
The incident marks the third reported security breach involving Trump since he left office, following previous incidents in Pennsylvania and at one of his golf clubs. As of Wednesday, February 25, 2026, the Secret Service has not released further details regarding the investigation or the security protocols in place at Mar-a-Lago.
