Feb. 22, 2026 — Palm Beach, Fla. Two 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, early Sunday after he breached the secure perimeter at the north gate of President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort, carrying a shotgun and a fuel canister.
The confrontation occurred around 1:30 a.m. EST when Martin entered the property as another vehicle exited, according to Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw. Officers ordered him to drop the items. He set down the canister but raised the shotgun to a firing position, prompting them to open fire. Martin was pronounced dead at the scene. No officers or other individuals were injured, and President Trump was in Washington at the time.
Sheriff Bradshaw detailed the sequence during a joint news conference with the Secret Service and FBI:
The man was told by law enforcement to ‘drop the items.’ The man put down the canister but raised the shotgun to a ‘shooting position,’ prompting the dispatched officers to open fire and kill him.
Martin, a recent high school graduate who worked part-time at a golf course and illustrated golf course drawings under Fresh Sky Illustrations, had been reported missing by his family the previous day. His cousin, Braeden Fields, described him to Fox News as a “good kid” who was quiet, generous—donating earnings to charity—and afraid of guns:
He wouldn’t even hurt an ant. He doesn’t even know how to use a gun.
Fields noted the family are “big Trump supporters.”
Some reports indicated Martin had grown obsessed with recently released Jeffrey Epstein files. A text he sent a co-worker in February read:
I don’t know if you read up on the Epstein Files, but evil is real and unmistakable … Tell other people about what you hear about the Epstein files and what the government is doing about it. Raise awareness.
The FBI is leading the investigation into Martin’s motive and movements, with no accomplices identified. Agents wore body cameras, and evidence including security footage is under review.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt stated:
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 … who intruded President Trump’s home.
Press Conference: The Secret Service, FBI, and PBSO discuss overnight investigation at Mar-a-Lago. pic.twitter.com/VIDEOID
— PBSO (@PBCountySheriff) February 22, 2026
