A 21-year-old man from North Carolina was fatally shot by law enforcement at Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago residence in Palm Beach, Florida, early Sunday morning, February 22, 2026, after breaching the property’s security perimeter. The man, identified as Austin Tucker Martin of Carthage, North Carolina, was carrying a shotgun and a fuel can, according to Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw.
The incident occurred around 1:30 a.m. Local time, when two Secret Service agents and a Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office deputy observed Martin at the north gate of the Mar-a-Lago estate. Authorities ordered Martin to drop the shotgun and gas can, but he did not comply, leading to the shooting. Martin was pronounced dead at the scene.
The Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office confirmed Martin’s identity. According to the Palm Beach Post, Martin had been reported missing by his family a few days prior to the incident. A missing persons poster circulated by the Carthage Police Department indicated he was last heard from at 7:51 p.m. On Saturday, February 21.
The Secret Service referred all questions regarding the shooting to the FBI, which confirmed Martin as the subject of the officer-involved shooting. The FBI stated it had no further information to release at this time, according to Newsweek.
President Trump was not at Mar-a-Lago during the incident, having spent the weekend in Washington, D.C.
Investigators believe Martin traveled south and acquired the shotgun en route to Mar-a-Lago, the Palm Beach Post reported. A box for the shotgun was discovered in Martin’s vehicle following the shooting.
The shooting at Mar-a-Lago follows previous security incidents involving former President Trump. In July 2024, a man attempting to shoot Trump during a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, was fatally shot by a Secret Service counter sniper. In September 2024, Ryan Wesley Routh was arrested after positioning himself with a rifle near Trump’s golf course in West Palm Beach. These incidents occurred against a backdrop of political violence, including the assassinations of Minnesota Democrat state Representative Melissa Hortman and conservative activist Charlie Kirk, Newsweek reported.
Laura Loomer, a Trump ally, posted on X, formerly Twitter, about a missing person report for an Austin Tucker Martin circulating on Facebook, but could not immediately confirm if it was the same individual involved in the Mar-a-Lago incident. Loomer’s post also speculated about a possible family tragedy, referencing the suicide of Martin’s sister in August 2023.
The FBI investigation into the shooting is ongoing.