Investigators have not identified a motive for the shooting, and the suspect, Austin Tucker Martin, was pronounced dead at the scene
The identity of the armed suspect who was shot and killed after he entered Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort this weekend has been revealed.
The perpetrator has been identified as Austin Tucker Martin, a 21-year-old man from Cameron, N.C., multiple news outlets, including the Associated Press, The New York Times, The Washington Post and Fox News reported, citing officials.
Martin is believed to have purchased his shotgun while driving south, Anthony Guglielmi, the Chief of Communications for the U.S. Secret Service, said, per the Associated Press. A box for the weapon was later found in his car, the outlet reported.
Guglielmi said in a prior news release that Martin was “observed by the north gate of the Mar-a-Lago property carrying what appeared to be a shotgun and a fuel can.” Ric Bradshaw with the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office (PBSO) said during a press conference that officers told Martin to drop the items, but he put down only the canister and was shot and killed after raising the shotgun to a “shooting position.”
Investigators have not identified a motive for the shooting. Martin was pronounced dead at the scene.
Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():focal(749x0:751x2):format(webp)/Donald-Trump-Mar-a-Lago-022226-d0501ea2921a48ab9790263cf18e86af.jpg)
Donald Trump, Mar-a-Lago.Chip Somodevilla/Getty;Saul Martinez/Getty
Martin entered the secure perimeter of Trump’s residence in Palm Beach, Fla., at around 1:30 a.m. local time on Sunday, Feb. 22, the Secret Service said in its news release.
Trump, 79, who often spends weekends at his resort, was at the White House in Washington, D.C., during the incident, according to the Associated Press. Melania Trump was also there at the time, the outlet said.
Guglielmi said in his statement that “U.S. Secret Service agents and a PBSO [Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office] deputy confronted the individual and shots were fired by law enforcement during the encounter.”
He added that “no U.S. Secret Service or PBSO personnel were injured,” and, “in accordance with agency policy, the involved Secret Service agents will be placed on routine administrative leave pending the outcome of the investigation.”
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():focal(999x0:1001x2):format(webp)/Secret-Service-022226-a26773ab36e44827b19edf7486e68867.jpg)
A Secret Service member (stock image).getty
The Moore County Sheriff’s Office (MCSO) said in a Facebook post that a relative of Martin’s “approached a deputy at a local business and reported him missing,” and Martin was then “entered into a national missing person database.”
“Following that report, federal authorities informed the Sheriff’s Office that they are conducting an active investigation in Florida involving Martin. At their request, the missing person case information has been turned over to federal investigators,” the MCSO added.
The FBI did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment on Feb. 22. The PBSO and the Secret Service directed PEOPLE to the FBI, and the MCSO directed PEOPLE to the information shared in its Facebook post.
The Mar-a-Lago incident was the latest in multiple assassination attempts and death threats Trump has faced as president and while campaigning.
One notable instance took place during a campaign rally in July 2024, when Thomas Matthew Crooks allegedly attempted to shoot Trump. (Crooks, 20, died after a Secret Service sniper killed him, while Trump suffered a gunshot wound to his upper right ear.) Another occurred when Ryan Wesley Routh was arrested at Trump’s West Palm Beach golf club months later, allegedly intending to shoot Trump when he approached. (Earlier this month, Routh, 59, was sentenced to life plus 84 months in federal prison.)
News
IVF NIGHTMARE: Couple Says Baby’s Biological Parents Identified After Shocking Embryo Mix-Up
A couple who filed a lawsuit after learning the baby they welcomed was not genetically related to them say they have finally identified their daughter’s biological parents. “The results of testing delivered to us today confirm that our baby’s genetic parents have been identified,” Tiffany Score and Steven Mills said in a statement obtained by PEOPLE and […]
CAUGHT ON VIDEO: Influencer Klaudia Glam Targeted in Chilling Car Attack Outside London Club
Horrific video shows the moment a beauty influencer allegedly mowed down a rival content creator in her Mercedes in a shocking attack outside a London nightclub. Graphic video shared on X allegedly shows Gabrielle Carrington, 29, exchanging blows with Klaudia Zakrzewska — aka Klaudia Glam — before getting behind the wheel and mowing her down. “She’s running […]
“EVERY DAY HURTS”: Athena Strand’s Parents Open Up About Life 4 Years After Tragic Loss
A Texas family was shattered when they learned that their 7-year-old daughter, Athena Strand, had been kidnapped and killed. Athena was reported missing by her stepmother, Elizabeth Ashley Strand, on Nov. 30, 2022. Two days later, she was found dead near a river about nine miles from her home. According to an arrest affidavit reviewed by […]
BEAUTY QUEEN TRAGEDY: Former Miss Mexico, 27, Shot Dead in Luxury Apartment — Shocking Suspect Emerges
A former Mexican beauty queen was found shot dead in her luxury apartment — with her mother-in-law eyed as the prime suspect, according to reports. Carolina Flores Gomez, 27, was found with a gunshot wound to the head last Thursday in her apartment in one of Mexico City’s wealthiest neighborhoods, Mexican outlet Reporte Indigo reported. 3 Former […]
WARNING ISSUED: Flesh-Eating Bacteria Detected in Long Island Waters — Survival Window Shrinks Fast
A vicious flesh-eating bacteria may be lurking in bodies of water across Long Island, as researchers warned its victims face a 20% chance of dying within 48 hours. Stony Brook University professor Dr. Christopher Gobler, an ecologist within the School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences, announced this week that his team has found evidence of vibrio vulnificus “hotspots” festering […]
UNTHINKABLE: Dad Accused of Attacking Infant Daughter, Chilling Threat Stuns Investigators
“It is unthinkable that this innocent child could have been treated in such a callous and evil manner,” Clermont County Prosecutor Mark Tekulve said A 30-year-old Ohio man has been indicted on several charges in connection with the death of his 4-month-old daughter. Marcellaus Malone was indicted on charges of murder, involuntary manslaughter, domestic violence […]
End of content
No more pages to load










