Armed man shot dead after breaching Trump's Mar-a-Lago security perimeter

An armed man was shot and killed early Sunday after unlawfully entering the secure perimeter of Mar-a-Lago, US President Donald Trump’s resort in Palm Beach, Florida, the US Secret Service said.

The incident occurred around 1:30 am, officials said. Although Trump frequently spends weekends at the property, he was at the White House at the time. First lady Melania Trump was also with him.

The Secret Service said the man was “observed by the north gate of the Mar-a-Lago property carrying what appeared to be a shotgun and a fuel can.” His identity has not been released.


Palm Beach County Sheriff Rick Bradshaw told a brief press conference that two Secret Service agents and a sheriff’s deputy confronted the man after he drove through the north gate as another vehicle was exiting.

“He was ordered to drop those two pieces of equipment that he had with them. At which time he put down the gas can, raised the shotgun to a shooting position," Bradshaw said. The two agents and the deputy "fired their weapons to neutralize the threat.”

Secret Service spokesman Anthony Guglielmi said the suspect, described as being in his early 20s and from North Carolina, had been reported missing by his family days earlier. Investigators believe he travelled south, picking up a shotgun along the way. The box for the firearm was recovered from his vehicle, Guglielmi said, according to AP.

The FBI has asked residents living near Mar-a-Lago to review any security camera footage that could assist the investigation. Authorities are working to develop a psychological profile of the suspect, and a motive remains under investigation. Asked whether the individual was known to law enforcement, Bradshaw said, “not right now.”

The episode comes amid heightened concerns over political violence in the United States. Last year saw a string of high-profile attacks, including the killing of conservative activist Charlie Kirk and the assassination of a Democratic leader in the Minnesota state House and her husband, as well as a shooting that wounded another lawmaker and his wife and an arson attack at the official residence of Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro.

The breach at Mar-a-Lago also recalls a separate 2024 incident a few miles away at Trump’s West Palm Beach golf club, where a man identified as Ryan Routh allegedly attempted to assassinate the then-presidential candidate while he was playing golf. A Secret Service agent spotted Routh aiming a rifle through shrubbery before Trump came into view and opened fire after Routh pointed the weapon toward him. Routh later dropped the gun, was apprehended, found guilty and sentenced this month to life in prison.

Trump also survived another assassination attempt at a 2024 campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, where a gunman fired eight shots before being killed by a Secret Service counter-sniper.

The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Sunday, AP reported.

(With inputs from the Associated Press)