Palm Beach, United States. US Secret Service agents and a sheriff’s deputy shot and killed an armed man early Sunday after he breached the secure perimeter of President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida. Authorities said the man raised a shotgun toward officers after being ordered to drop his weapons.
Confrontation near north gate
The intruder was identified by sources as 21-year-old Austin T. Martin from North Carolina. He was confronted by security personnel at about 1:30 a.m. near a gate on the north side of the property.
Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw said at a news conference that security teams detected an individual inside the inner perimeter. A sheriff’s deputy and two Secret Service agents went to investigate and found a man carrying a shotgun and a petrol can.
“They confronted a white male that was carrying a gas can and a shotgun,” Bradshaw said.
Fatal shooting and investigation
Bradshaw said the man was ordered to drop his weapons. He put down the petrol can but “raised the shotgun to a shooting position,” prompting the deputy and agents to open fire, according to the sheriff. The man was declared dead at the scene.
Investigators are examining whether Martin purchased the shotgun while driving from North Carolina to Florida. Bradshaw said Martin’s family reported him missing on Saturday.
Special Agent in Charge Rafael Barros of the Secret Service Miami Field Office said no law enforcement personnel were injured.
What questions do you have about the ongoing investigation into how the intruder obtained the shotgun?
