A White man in his early 20s was shot and killed by law enforcement after breaching the secure perimeter at Mar-a-Lago around 1:30 a.m. ET on Sunday. The man, who is from North Carolina and was reported missing by his mother the day before, entered through the north gate as an employee was leaving and made it roughly 20 to 30 yards inside before being confronted by a Palm Beach County Sheriff’s deputy and two Secret Service agents.
Authorities ordered him to drop what he was carrying. He dropped a gas can but raised a shotgun into a shooting position, at which point officers opened fire. He was pronounced dead at the scene. No law enforcement personnel were injured. His name is being withheld pending family notification.
The FBI is leading the investigation into his background and motive. The Secret Service agents involved have been placed on administrative leave in line with standard agency policy. Secret Service Director Sean Curran traveled to Florida for after-action review, and Attorney General Pamela Bondi confirmed she is coordinating with federal partners on the investigation.
Trump was not at Mar-a-Lago at the time, spending the weekend in Washington where he hosted a governors dinner at the White House on Saturday night. The incident raises fresh questions about security at Mar-a-Lago, which has increasingly been used as a venue for official presidential activity. While the Secret Service screens guests, paying club members can access the property alongside world leaders. Recent security upgrades at the site include snipers, bomb-sniffing dogs and boats patrolling the surrounding waterway.
