Mar-a-Lago Lockdown: Secret Service Shoots Armed Intruder
Armed suspect shot after breaching Mar-a-Lago security perimeter. Secret Service responds swiftly amid rising political violence concerns in the US.
The Secret Service has reported that an armed man was shot after entering the secure area of US President Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago home in Florida.
Officials said the man was carrying a shotgun and a fuel can when he was stopped and shot by a Secret Service agent and a sheriff's deputy.
The Moore County Sheriff's Office said in a statement that his family in North Carolina reported him missing on Sunday morning.
The Sheriff's Office said the missing person information has been passed to federal authorities.
They also said the department had no prior history with Martin and was not involved in the Florida investigation.
Authorities are investigating whether he purchased a gun while driving from North Carolina to Florida.
Agency spokesperson Anthony Guglielmi posted on X that Secret Service agents shot him after observing him "illegally entering the secure area of Mar-a-Lago this morning."
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The agency said in a statement that the suspect was "seen at the north gate of the Mar-a-Lago property, carrying a shotgun and something that appeared to be a fuel can."
Palm Beach County Sheriff Rick Bradshaw said the man was shot after refusing orders.
"All we told him was 'drop the item,' meaning the gas can and the shotgun," Bradshaw said at a news conference.
"At that point, he put the gas can down and raised the shotgun into firing position."
He said that at that point, agents fired their weapons to "eliminate the threat."
He added that the officers were wearing body cameras and no law enforcement officers were injured.
Bradshaw said he did not know whether the suspect's gun was loaded, and that this would be part of the investigation, with the FBI assisting.
US Secret Service Director Sean Curran traveled to Florida on Sunday for an "after-action" meeting and "reinforced operational communications and the agency's response to critical incidents," the agency said in a post on X.
Security at Mar-a-Lago is extremely tight, with the local Palm Beach Sheriff maintaining the outer perimeter and the Secret Service maintaining the inner perimeter. Visitors are searched, and cars and bags are checked with dogs and metal detectors.
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In July 2024, Trump was shot in the ear while standing before a crowd in Butler, Pennsylvania. One bystander was killed and two others were injured. The shooter, 20-year-old Matthew Crooks, was immediately shot and killed by security forces, and his motive is unknown.
Months later, a US Secret Service agent spotted a rifle protruding from bushes at the Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach. The man, later identified as Ryan Routh, fled but was captured. The 59-year-old was sentenced to life in prison earlier this month for attempting to assassinate the president.
During an appearance on Fox Business after the fatal incident, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessant accused the political left of "normalizing" political violence, referring to two attempts on Trump's life in 2024.
"Two assassins were killed, one got a life sentence, and this venom is coming from the other side," Bessant said, adding: "They're normalizing this violence. It has to stop."
Political violence has become a major issue in the US, sparking debate after several other high-profile incidents last year, including the firebombing of Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro's mansion, the fatal shootings of a Democratic lawmaker and her husband in Minnesota, and the public shooting of right-wing activist Charlie Kirk.
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