An armed intruder has been shot dead after illegally entering President Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida early Sunday morning, the US Secret Service has said.
The unidentified man in his early 20s was carrying what appeared to be a shotgun and a fuel can at the north gate of the West Palm Beach property at around 1:30 a.m. Sunday and was shot dead by Secret Service agents and a Palm Beach County sheriff’s deputy, according to a statement put out on social media.
The unidentified man in his early 20s was killed after approaching the front gate of the President’s estate with a shotgun and a gas cannister, police said at a press conference Sunday morning.
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A C-SPAN caller, using the pseudonym “John Barron” and mimicking Trump’s voice, ranted about the Supreme Court’s tariff ruling. The caller, claiming to be a Virginia Republican, criticized the decision, leading the host to quickly cut them off. This occurred after Trump faced a significant Supreme Court loss regarding his tariff agenda. The crazed gunman who was shot dead after trying to enter Mar-a-Lago with a shotgun and a gas can has been identified as a North Carolina artist who was reported missing by his mom. Austin Tucker Martin, 21, of Cameron, North Carolina, was killed by law enforcement in the early hours of Sunday morning, law enforcement sources told The Post. He was reported missing by his family to authorities on Saturday. Officials are still investigating whether he bought the gun en route to Florida. According to his social media, his family was frantically looking for him after he disappeared on Saturday night. Tucker Martin's social media shows that he was obsessed with drawing scenes from the golf courses in the Sandhills region — which includes the famed Pinehurst.C-SPAN caller using Trump's pseudonym and remarkably familiar accent slams Supreme Court tariff ruling
By Ryan King Mar-a-Lago shotgun-wielding madman ID'd as North Carolina golf course artist
By Anthony Blair 
White House press secretary Karolina Leavitt slammed Democrats over the shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security in the wake of law enforcement killing a gunman at Mar-a-Lago in the week morning hours.
"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," Leavitt posted on X.
"Federal law enforcement are working 24/7 to keep our country safe and protect all Americans," she added. "It’s shameful and reckless that Democrats have chosen to shut down their Department."
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. Federal law enforcement are working 24/7 to keep our… https://t.co/MYTsHqR4cx
— Karoline Leavitt (@PressSec) February 22, 2026
DHS has been shut down since Feb. 14 due to a deadlock over Democrats' demands for reforms to immigration enforcement procedures.
The Mar-a-Lago armed intruder was ordered to "drop the items" by law enforcement before he was shot dead after entering the inner perimeter of the Florida property, authorities said.
The unidentified man in his early 20s was killed after approaching the front gate of the President's estate with a shotgun and a gas cannister, police said at a press conference Sunday morning.
It isn't known yet whether the shotgun was loaded, nor whether the intruder was known to law enforcement before the shooting, authorities said.
Both the US Secret Service and Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office were involved in the shooting, but authorities did not reveal who fired the fatal shots.
President Trump was not at Mar-a-Lago at the time of the shooting early Sunday morning, having spent Saturday night in Washington DC following the Governor's Dinner.
