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.
Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw holds up a photo of a gun and gas canister recovered after a man was shot and killed by a Secret Service agent after unlawfully entering the secure perimeter at Mar-a-Lago. FOX 5 Washington DC
An armed man was killed by Secret Service after breaching the security perimeter at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago residence. AFP via Getty Images
He was confronted by two Secret Service agents and a sheriff’s deputy after he entered the secure perimeter at the property before he was shot, Sheriff Rick Bradshaw told reporters.
“He was ordered to drop those two pieces of equipment that he had with them,” Bradshaw said. “At which time he put down the gas can, raised the shotgun to a shooting position.”
President Trump was not at Mar-a-Lago at the time; he is at the White House.
On Saturday night, he and first Lady Melania attended the Governor’s Dinner and stayed in the capital overnight.
The man was carrying what appeared to be a shotgun and fuel can at the president’s property. Getty Images
The suspect is from North Carolina and was reported missing by his family a few days ago, according to authorities.
The gunman is believed to have bought the shotgun after heading south from his home, with the box from the weapon recovered in his vehicle, Secret Service spokesman Anthony Guglielmi told reporters.
The FBI and PBSO are set to hold a news briefing Sunday morning with further details.
Statement released by the United States Secret Service. United States Secret Service
While President Trump has yet to comment on the incident, White House Press Secretary Karoline Levitt praised the Secret Service’s quick thinking to take out the “crazy” gunman.
“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,” she wrote on X.
“Federal law enforcement are working 24/7 to keep our country safe and protect all Americans. It’s shameful and reckless that Democrats have chosen to shut down their Department,” she added.
No further details about the intruder have been released, including his full background or motivation.
The case is under investigation by the FBI, the Secret Service and local cops.
The Secret Service agents involved in the shooting have been placed on routine administrative leave pending the investigation’s outcome, as per agency policy.
The incident at Mar-a-Lago is only the latest involving Trump, with an attempt made at his life at his West Palm Beach golf club in 2024.
During that incident, convicted gunman Ryan Routh was arrested by a Secret Service agent who found him aiming a rifle through the shrubbery before the would-be assassin could aim at Trump.
The president also survived an assassination attempt at a Butler, Pennsylvania campaign rally in 2024, when gunman Thomas Crooks managed to shoot Trump in the ear before being killed by a Secret Service counter sniper.