Man fatally shot by Secret Service after trying to break into Trump’s Mar-a-Lago residence
The president usually spends weekends in Florida, but when the incident occurred he was at the White House
Secret Service agents, the officials in charge of protecting U.S. presidents, shot and killed an armed man early on Sunday after he illegally breached the security perimeter of Mar-a-Lago, the Palm Beach estate in Florida where U.S. President Donald Trump usually spends his weekends. Trump, however, was not there at the time; he was in Washington at the White House with his wife, Melania Trump.
The incident occurred at 1:30 a.m. on Sunday, when the Secret Service shot a man — still unidentified — after he entered the grounds. The intruder was “observed by the north gate of the Mar-a-Lago property carrying what appeared to be a shotgun and a fuel can,” the Secret Service said in a statement.
Although the individual’s identity has not yet been officially confirmed, the suspect — who is around 20 years old and from North Carolina — had been reported missing by his family a few days earlier. Investigators believe he left that state and traveled south carrying a shotgun, according to Secret Service spokesperson Anthony Guglielmi.
The shotgun case was recovered from his vehicle, Guglielmi said. The man entered through Mar‑a‑Lago’s north gate by taking advantage of another vehicle exiting at the same moment and confronted Secret Service agents. They responded, and the armed man was shot and killed. Investigators are working to develop a psychological profile, and the motive for attempting to enter the compound is still under investigation. Asked whether the individual was known to law enforcement, Palm Beach County Sheriff Bradshaw replied: “Not right now.”
Early Sunday morning, Bradshaw explained in a brief press conference that the man was intercepted by two Secret Service agents and a deputy from his office. “The only words that we said to him was ‘drop the items’ which means the gas can and the shotgun,” Bradshaw told a news conference. “At which time he put down the gas can, raised the shotgun to a shooting position.” The two agents and the deputy “fired to neutralize the threat.” No law‑enforcement officers were injured in the exchange.
The FBI has asked all residents in the area to review their security‑camera footage in case the images can assist investigators.
On Saturday, Trump spent the day attending a round of closed‑door political consultations, according to the daily schedule his office provides to reporters, following the Supreme Court’s setback to his tariff policy and amid the possibility of an imminent targeted strike on Iran. That evening, the president and his wife, Melania, hosted a dinner for state governors at the White House, and Sunday’s schedule also placed him at the official residence.
But he spends most weekends at Mar‑a‑Lago, where, at the nearby golf club, a man attempted to assassinate him in September 2024, when he was still a presidential candidate. A Secret Service agent saw the suspect — later identified as Ryan Routh — aiming a rifle through the bushes before Trump arrived at the green. According to authorities, Routh pointed his rifle at the agent, who fired and forced him to drop the weapon. The suspect was convicted last year and was sentenced this month to life in prison.
Trump also survived an assassination attempt at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, in July 2024. The gunman fired eight shots before being stopped by a Secret Service sniper while a defiant Trump raised his fist to the crowd. The incident — and especially his survival — was considered decisive in the course of the election.
Sunday’s incident at Mar‑a‑Lago comes amid a context of growing political polarization that in recent months has led to episodes of violence. Just last year, the conservative activist Charlie Kirk was killed, as were the Democratic leader of the Minnesota House of Representatives and her husband; another lawmaker and his wife were wounded in a shooting; and an arson attack targeted the official residence of Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro.
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