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 of former President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort around 1:30 a.m. The armed man, carrying a shotgun and gas canister, was ordered to drop the items, complied only with the canister, then raised the shotgun to a shooting position, prompting agents to open fire. Trump was not present, staying at the White House.
Martin drove his vehicle through the north gate as another car exited, then entered on foot. Authorities found a shotgun box in his car and believe he purchased the weapon while driving south from North Carolina, where family members had reported him missing earlier that day. No motive has been identified, and the FBI is leading the investigation, joined by the Secret Service and local sheriff’s offices, including Moore County in North Carolina.
At a morning news conference outside Mar-a-Lago, Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw described the confrontation:
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.
Secret Service spokesman Anthony Guglielmi confirmed the shotgun purchase. The two agents involved have been placed on administrative leave, and Secret Service Director Sean Kern is traveling to Florida for a review. Investigators are seeking surveillance video from nearby residents.
Martin, a recent high school graduate who started an artwork company drawing golf courses, was described by cousin Braeden Fields as a “good kid” who was afraid of guns and unlikely to harm anyone. His family are avid Trump supporters. The incident marks a rare fatal shooting involving Secret Service agents at a protectee’s residence; the agency has few such instances in its 160-year history.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt stated:
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.
FBI Director Kash Patel said the bureau is dedicating all necessary resources. No other injuries were reported, and security at Mar-a-Lago functioned as designed, per Bradshaw.
