Feb. 22, 2026 — Palm Beach, Fla. U.S. Secret Service agents and a Palm Beach County Sheriff’s deputy fatally shot 21-year-old Austin Tucker Martin from Cameron, North Carolina, after he breached the secure perimeter at President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort early Sunday morning, carrying what appeared to be a shotgun and a fuel canister.
Martin drove his vehicle through the main gate on Ocean Boulevard around 1:30 a.m. as an employee vehicle exited, then proceeded on foot inside the north gate where he was confronted by two Secret Service agents and the deputy, according to details from a morning press conference.
Law enforcement ordered Martin to drop the items. He complied with the canister but raised the shotgun to a shooting position, prompting officers to open fire and kill him, authorities said.
“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. The two agents and the deputy fired their weapons to neutralize the threat,” Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric L. Bradshaw said at the briefing.
President Trump was not present at the resort, having hosted state governors at the White House the previous evening. No protectees or agents were injured.
The FBI is investigating the motive, with no details released. Martin’s family reported him missing to the Moore County Sheriff’s Department in North Carolina early that day. A box for the shotgun was found in his vehicle, and he is believed to have purchased it while driving south, per Secret Service spokesman Anthony Guglielmi.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt stated the Secret Service “acted quickly and decisively to neutralize a crazy person, armed with a gun and a gas canister, who intruded President Trump’s home.”
FBI Director Kash Patel said on X that the bureau would dedicate all necessary resources to the probe.
Sheriff Bradshaw noted body cameras were worn and that security functioned as intended, with Martin nowhere near the main building. A photo of the shotgun and canister was displayed during the briefing.
This incident follows a series of prior security breaches at Mar-a-Lago and nearby Trump properties, including trespassing attempts and arrests in recent years, per local reporting.
