A North Carolina man was fatally shot early Sunday as he allegedly attempted to enter President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida.
Austin Tucker Martin, 21, was allegedly armed with a shotgun and a gas canister when he encountered two Secret Service agents and a Palm Beach County sheriff’s deputy just inside Mar-a-Lago’s north gate around 1:30 a.m. The president and first lady were in Washington, D.C., at the time.
The officers ordered Martin to put down the gear, Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw told reporters Sunday. Martin then lowered the canister but “raised the shotgun to a shooting position.”
“At that point in time, the deputy and the two Secret Service agents fired their weapons,” the sheriff said.
Family members had reported Martin missing over the weekend and were stunned by the news.
Here’s what we know about the alleged gunman.
Those who knew Martin were shocked to learn of the break-in and shooting.
“He’s a good kid,” his cousin, Braeden Fields, told the Associated Press. “I wouldn’t believe he would do something like this. It’s mind-blowing.”
“He wouldn’t even hurt an ant,” Fields added. “He doesn’t even know how to use a gun.”
Fields described Martin’s family as a group of “avid Trump supporters” and said the 21-year-old was “real quiet, never really talked about anything.” Martin worked at a local golf course, Fields added.
Martin, who graduated in 2023 from Union Pines High School in Cameron, was listed in voting records as unaffiliated with a political party, according to documents obtained by the The News & Observer.
Last year, Martin started a business making handmade drawings of golf courses.
“Fresh Sky Illustrations is an artwork company that mainly focuses on bringing to life the hopeful feeling of being on a golf course by illustrating golf course scenes and providing framed copies of handmade works in various golf course gift shops while handling personal commissions on the side,” a website for the endeavor reads.
Brandon Huneycutt, head golf professional at the Quail Ridge Golf Course in Sanford, North Carolina, told The News & Observer he briefly met Martin several years ago and allowed him to use a golf cart and see parts of the course.
“I guess he took pictures of them, and he went home and actually hand-drew the pictures,” Huneycutt said. “They’re pretty good pieces.”
A car found near Mar-a-Lago is thought to be Martin’s silver Volkswagen. Inside, police found a box that appeared to have been carrying Martin’s shotgun.
Investigators believe Martin picked up the weapon as he headed south for Florida, according to Anthony Guglielmi, a spokesman for the Secret Service.
The FBI is leading the investigation.
Trump and his properties have faced a string of security threats since the 2024 campaign season.
A gunman, who was later killed, grazed the Republican with a bullet during a rally in Pennsylvania in July 2024.
Ryan Wesley Routh, 59, attempted to kill Trump near Mar-a-Lago later that year, pointing a rifle through a fence bordering the Trump International Golf Club, according to federal prosecutors.
Earlier this month, Routh was sentenced to life in federal prison.
Routh has filed an appeal challenging his conviction and sentence, according to court documents.
