Suspected gunman identified after being shot dead at Mar-a-Lago – US politics live | US news
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Donald Trump has not yet responded to the incident, but the White House press secretary said: Karoline Leavitt, In a post on X he wrote: Sunday:
At midnight, while most Americans were asleep, the United States Secret Service took swift and decisive action to neutralize a crazed individual armed with a gun and a gas canister who had broken into President Trump’s home.
Federal law enforcement agencies work 24/7 to keep our country safe and protect all Americans. It is shameful and reckless that Democrats have chosen to shut down their own departments.
Richard Luscombe
Richard Luscombe is a Guardian US correspondent based in Miami, Florida.
Secret Service spokesman Anthony Guglielmi said investigators believe the suspect left North Carolina and headed south, picking up a shotgun along the way.
Guglielmi said the gun box was found in his vehicle. The man entered Mar-a-Lago’s north gate as another vehicle exited, encountered Secret Service agents and was fatally shot…
Sunday’s episode parallels a 2019 incident in which a Chinese woman carrying multiple cellphones and a computer flash drive carrying malware evaded security and gained access to Mar-a-Lago’s main lobby.
It was one of a series of incidents during Trump’s first term in office that led to accusations that security was poor at the club, which Trump often calls the “winter White House.”
In July 2024, Trump was injured during an assassination attempt while speaking at a rally for his supporters in Butler, Pennsylvania, during the presidential election campaign. A bullet grazed his ear and some bystanders were killed.
Then on September 15 of the same year, a man with a rifle was captured waiting near Trump’s golf course in West Palm Beach while the President was playing golf. He appeared to be pointing the gun through the surrounding hedges. He was sentenced to life in prison earlier this month.
Last Wednesday, police in Washington arrested a man From Georgia, he raced toward the west side of the U.S. Capitol with a loaded shotgun.
Investigators continue to work to compile a psychological profile and determine a motive. Asked by reporters yesterday whether the suspect was previously known to law enforcement, Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw answered “not at this time.”
Martin’s family reported him missing to the sheriff’s office Sunday morning.
The Moore County Sheriff’s Department in North Carolina said a relative of Martin reported her missing early Sunday morning.
In a statement posted on FacebookThe Moore County Sheriff’s Office wrote:
The Moore County Sheriff’s Office confirmed that on February 22, 2026, at approximately 1:38 a.m., a relative of 21-year-old Austin Tucker Martin approached a deputy at a local business and reported him missing. It was later included in the national missing persons database.
Following this report, federal authorities notified the Sheriff’s Office that they were conducting an active investigation in Florida involving Martin. At their request, Information on missing person case turned over to federal investigators.
Moore County Sheriff’s Office He had no history with Martin before the missing person report..
Cousin says gunman suspect was ‘very quiet’ and came from family of ‘big Trump supporters’
New York Times reports Austin Tucker Martin graduated from Union Pines High School in Cameron, North Carolina, in 2023 and founded an artwork company last June that specializes in hand-crafted renderings of golf courses.
According to the website Fresh Sky Illustrations:
It is an art company that focuses primarily on bringing to life the hopeful feeling of being on a golf course by painting golf course scenes and offering framed replicas of handcrafted works in various golf course gift shops, but also undertakes personal commissions.
Combining the aesthetic of the sunny outdoors with vintage digital aesthetics from the mid-2000s, Fresh Sky Illustrations hopes to evoke a sense of hope and comfort with this handcrafted web page design.
Martin, who lives in an area of North Carolina known for its golf courses, was a registered voter, but state voting records show he was not affiliated with a particular party.
The 21-year-old was described by his cousin Braeden Fields as: “very quiet” And inexperienced with weapons.
“He doesn’t even know how to use a gun. He has never used a gun.” Fields, 19, told ABC station WTVD: Hours after Martin was killed.
Fields said the family “big Trump supporters” and that Martin has an older brother in the army.
Martin: “I actually never mentioned it… did not want to enter politicsFields added that Martin worked at a golf course, got it ready for the season, and liked to send his paychecks to charity.
“We pretty much grew up together,” Fields said. “I never believed he would do something like this. mind blowing.”
Armed suspect identified after shot to death near Mar-a-Lago
Good morning and welcome to our live coverage of US politics.
The identity of the gunman killed yesterday by US Secret Service agents for allegedly violating the secure perimeter of Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago mansion in Florida was determined as follows in media reports: Austin Tucker MartinA 21-year-old illustrator from Cameron, North Carolina.
Although the US president spends his weekends at an oceanside resort, he was at the White House in Washington at the time of this incident. Like First Lady Melania Trump.
At a press conference on Sunday morning, Ric BradshawThe Palm Beach County Sheriff said the suspect He was carrying a gas cylinder and a shotgun.
Bradshaw later confirmed Austin’s identity after initially withholding it until authorities notified his family. According to Washington Post.
Austin’s family in North Carolina reported him missing early Sunday morning, according to the Moore County Sheriff’s Office.
As my colleague Richard Luscombe noted in this story, Bradshaw told reporters that two Secret Service agents and one of their deputies went to the north gate of the property around 1:30 a.m. ET (06:30 GMT) after a security detail alerted them that a person was on the inner perimeter.
There, they encountered a white male carrying a shotgun and a gas can, Bradshaw said.
“He was ordered to drop the two pieces of equipment he had with him, at which time he dropped the gas canister (and) raised his rifle into a firing position,” the sheriff said.
“At that time, the deputy sheriff and two Secret Service agents fired their weapons and neutralized the threat. He died at the scene.”
A motive has not been determined by investigators led by the FBI. The security breach follows two assassination attempts against Trump during the 2024 presidential campaign.
