An armed man was shot and killed early Sunday after entering the secure perimeter of Mar-a-Lago, the Palm Beach estate of President Donald Trump, officials said.
The incident occurred around 1:30 a.m. EST on Sunday when the man — identified by law enforcement as a man in his early 20s from North Carolina who had been reported missing by his family days earlier — drove through the north gate of the property carrying what “appeared to be a shotgun and a fuel can,” according to a statement from the United States Secret Service.
Secret Service agents, joined by a deputy from the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office, confronted the man after he breached the secure perimeter. Officials said he dropped the fuel can but then raised the shotgun in what was described as a threatening posture, prompting agents to fire and fatally shoot him. No law enforcement personnel were injured in the encounter.
At the time, Trump and First Lady Melania Trump were at the White House in Washington, D.C., and no individuals under Secret Service protection were present at Mar-a-Lago.
Officials have not publicly released the man’s name, and authorities said they are continuing to investigate his background, actions and potential motive. The Federal Bureau of Investigation is leading the inquiry, working to compile a psychological profile and gather evidence about why he traveled south and armed himself before the breach.
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This incident adds to a series of high-profile security breaches and politically charged violence in recent years, including attempted attacks on Trump and other public figures, and has prompted renewed scrutiny of protective measures at sensitive locations.
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