Feb. 23, 2026 — Palm Beach, Fla. U.S. Secret Service agents and a Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office 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 around 1:30 a.m., authorities said. Martin drove through the north gate carrying a shotgun and a fuel canister, dropped the canister but raised the shotgun when ordered to drop it, prompting law enforcement to open fire.
Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw detailed the confrontation during a 9:40 a.m. press conference outside the resort.
“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. [They] fired their weapons to neutralize the threat.”
Bradshaw said via WPBF and The Guardian. No Secret Service protectees, including Trump who was in Washington, D.C., or officers were injured. The two agents involved have been placed on administrative leave.
Martin drove through the normally closed gate on South Ocean Boulevard as another vehicle exited, according to investigators reported by The New York Times and Al Jazeera. Secret Service spokesman Anthony Guglielmi said authorities believe Martin purchased the shotgun while driving south from North Carolina, with its box found in his vehicle.
The FBI is leading the investigation, processing the scene and requesting nearby surveillance footage from residents, FBI special agent Brett Skiles said. No motive has been identified, though investigators are developing a psychological profile. Martin had been reported missing by his family to Moore County authorities earlier that day.
His 19-year-old cousin, Braeden Fields, described Martin as a quiet golf course worker from a family of Trump supporters who was afraid of guns and unlikely to harm anyone. Social media showed Martin creating art of local golf courses, per Revolver News.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said:
“In the middle of the night while most Americans were asleep, the United States 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.”
Trump has not commented on the incident.
