Feb. 22, 2026 — Palm Beach, Fla. A 21-year-old man from Cameron, North Carolina, was shot and killed by two U.S. Secret Service agents and a Palm Beach County Sheriff’s deputy after entering the secure perimeter of President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort armed with a shotgun and a gas can around 1:30 a.m. Sunday.
Austin Tucker Martin drove through the north gate, was confronted by officers who ordered him to drop the items, dropped the gas can but raised the shotgun, prompting agents to open fire, according to Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw.
“Only words we said to him was drop the items. Meaning the shotgun and gas can. He put the gas can down. And pointed the shotgun at the officers,” Bradshaw said at a news briefing.
Trump was in Washington, D.C., at the time, and no other injuries were reported, Secret Service Special Agent in Charge Rafael Barros confirmed.
“We want to be clear, the president of the United States was not in the state of Florida.”
The FBI is leading the investigation into Martin’s motive, with assistance from local authorities. No motive has been identified. Martin had been reported missing by his family hours earlier, according to investigators.
Martin’s cousin, Braeden Fields, described him as apolitical and inexperienced with firearms. Fields grew up with Martin, from a family of Trump supporters.
“I wouldn’t believe he would do something like this. It’s mind-blowing,” Fields said. “He wouldn’t even hurt an ant. He doesn’t even know how to use a gun.”
“We are big Trump supporters, all of us. Everybody,” Fields said, adding Martin was “real quiet, never really talked about anything,” per NBC Miami and AP News.
Martin worked for three years as a groundskeeper at Pine Needles Lodge & Golf Club, where he also sold pen drawings of golf courses and architecture. He lived with his mother in a modest home near Cameron and purchased the shotgun en route to Florida. His sister died in a 2023 car accident, and he has a brother in the military.
Kelly Miller, president of Pine Needles Lodge & Golf Club, called the incident “tragic” and “totally unexpected,” expressing sympathy for Martin’s family.
An X post summarized the breach: “Austin Tucker Martin breached Mar-a-Lago’s perimeter with a shotgun and gas can… shot and killed… motive under investigation” (@EncounterNewsX).
