An armed man was shot dead early Sunday after breaching the secure perimeter of former Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida, the United States Secret Service confirmed.
The suspect, described as a white man in his early 20s, was carrying a shotgun and a fuel can when he was confronted by Secret Service agents and a Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office deputy. Authorities said he was shot after failing to comply with commands.
“The only words that we said to him was ‘drop the items’ which means the gas can and the shotgun. At which time he put down the gas can, raised the shotgun to a shooting position,” Sheriff Ric Bradshaw said. “Agents fired their weapons to neutralise the threat.”
The incident occurred at about 01:30 ET (06:30 GMT) while Trump was in Washington, DC. Officials said all law enforcement personnel were unharmed, and body camera footage is being reviewed as part of an ongoing FBI-assisted investigation. It is unclear whether the shotgun was loaded.
Security remains tight at Mar-a-Lago, with Secret Service officers controlling the inner perimeter and Palm Beach County deputies managing the outer cordon. Visitors and vehicles are screened using dogs and metal detectors.
Trump has previously been targeted in assassination attempts. In July 2024, he was shot in the ear in Butler, Pennsylvania; one bystander was killed and two others injured. The gunman, Matthew Crooks, 20, was shot dead by security personnel. Months later, a rifle was discovered at Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, with the suspect, Ryan Routh, later sentenced to life imprisonment for attempting to assassinate the former president.
