Suspected gunman identified after being shot dead at Mar-a-Lago – US politics live | US news
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Richard Luscombe
Richard Luscombe is a Guardian US journalist based in Miami, Florida.
Investigators believe the suspect left North Carolina and headed south, collecting a shotgun along the way, Secret Service spokesman Anthony Guglielmi said.
The gun box was found in his vehicle, Guglielmi said. The man entered Mar-a-Lago’s north gate as another vehicle exited, and he was confronted by Secret Service agents and fatally shot…
Sunday’s episode has parallels to a 2019 incident in which a Chinese woman carrying several cellphones and a USB drive containing malware gained access to the main lobby of Mar-a-Lago after evading security.
It was one of several incidents during Trump’s first term that sparked accusations of lax security at the club, which he often called his “Winter White House.”
In July 2024, Trump was injured in an assassination attempt while speaking at a rally of supporters in Butler, Pennsylvania, during the presidential election campaign. A bullet grazed his ear and spectators were killed.
Then, on September 15 of that year, a man armed with a rifle was captured after waiting near Trump’s golf course in West Palm Beach while the president played a round. He appeared to be pointing his gun through a perimeter fence. He was sentenced to life in prison earlier this month.
Last Wednesday, Washington police arrested a Georgia man armed with a loaded shotgun who was running toward the west side of the U.S. Capitol building.
Investigators continue to work to build a psychological profile and establish a motive. Asked yesterday by reporters whether the suspect was already known to law enforcement, Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw replied “not at this time.”
Martin’s family reported him missing Sunday morning – sheriff’s office
The Moore County, North Carolina, Sheriff’s Department said someone close to Martin reported him missing early Sunday morning.
In a statement posted on Facebook, the Moore County Sheriff’s Office wrote:
The Moore County Sheriff’s Office confirms that on February 22, 2026, at approximately 1:38 a.m., a relative of Austin Tucker Martin, 21, approached a deputy at a local business and reported him missing. He was then entered into a national missing persons database.
Following this report, federal authorities informed the sheriff’s office that they were conducting an active investigation in Florida involving Martin. At their request, information on missing person case passed to federal investigators.
Moore County Sheriff’s Office had no history involving Martin before the missing person report.
Suspected shooter was ‘very quiet’ and came from family of ‘big Trump supporters,’ cousin says
The New York Times reports that Austin Tucker Martin is graduating from Union Pines High School in Cameron, North Carolina, in 2023, and last June launched an art business specializing in handmade drawings of golf courses.
According to its website, Fresh Sky Illustrations:
is an art business that primarily aims to bring to life the feeling of hope of being on a golf course by illustrating golf course scenes and providing framed copies of handmade works to various golf course gift shops while handling personal orders on the side.
Combining the aesthetic of sunny exteriors and the old digital aesthetic of the mid-2000s, Fresh Sky Illustrations hopes to awaken a sense of hope and comfort with this handcrafted web page design.
Martin, who lived in a part of North Carolina known for its golf courses, was a registered voter, although state voting records indicate he was not affiliated with a particular party.
The 21-year-old was described by his cousin Braeden Fields as “very calm” And inexperienced with firearms.
“He doesn’t even know how to use a gun. He’s never used a gun,” Fields, 19, told ABC’s WTVD hours after Martin’s death.
Fields said the family was “big supporters of Trump» and that Martin has a military older brother.
Martin “never really talked about it… he didn’t want to get into politicsFields said, adding that Martin worked on a golf course, got it ready for the season and liked to send his paychecks to charity.
“We practically grew up together,” Fields said. “I never, I wouldn’t believe he would do something like that. Breathtaking.”
Suspected shooter identified after being shot in Mar-a-Lago perimeter
Hello and welcome to our live coverage of American politics.
The gunman that US Secret Service agents killed yesterday after allegedly breaching the security perimeter of Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago property in Florida has been identified in media reports as Austin Tucker Martina 21-year-old illustrator from Cameron, North Carolina.
Although the US president often spends his weekends at the seaside resort, he was at the White House in Washington during the incident. just like first lady Melania Trump.
At a press conference on Sunday morning, Richard BradshawPalm Beach County Sheriff said the suspect carried a gas canister and a hunting rifle.
Bradshaw later confirmed Austin’s identity after initially hiding it until authorities could notify his family, according to the Washington Post.
Family in Austin, North Carolina, reported him missing early Sunday morning, according to the Moore County Sheriff’s Office.
As my colleague Richard Luscombe notes in this article, Bradshaw told reporters that two Secret Service agents and one of his deputies went to the north gate of the property around 1:30 a.m. (06:30 GMT) after security alerted them that a person was in an interior perimeter.
There, they confronted a white man carrying a shotgun and a gas can, Bradshaw said.
“He was ordered to drop the two pieces of equipment he had with him, and at that point he put down the gas can (and) raised the shotgun to the firing position,” the sheriff said.
“At that point, the deputy and the two Secret Service agents fired their weapons and neutralized the threat. He died at the scene.”
No motive has been determined by investigators, led by the FBI. This security breach follows two assassination attempts against Trump during his 2024 presidential campaign.
