Man fatally shot after attempted break-in at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago with ‘shotgun and fuel can,’ Secret Service say

The Secret Service has shot and killed a man who attempted to break into President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago home, the agency announced Sunday morning.

Trump and the first lady, Melania Trump, were not at the Florida residence at the time of the shooting.

The couple was in Washington, D.C., on Saturday night for a dinner with state governors, but the president often spends the weekend at the residence, where he golfs on Sundays.

Around 1:30 a.m. Sunday, a man in his early 20s was shot by law enforcement after entering a “secure perimeter” at the residence, the Secret Service said in a statement.

He was carrying what appeared to be a shotgun and a fuel can, according to the agency.

open image in gallery

open image in gallery

At a Sunday morning press conference, Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw said two Secret Service agents and a deputy confronted the suspect and told him to drop the gas can and his shotgun.

The intruder then “raised the shotgun to a shooting position,” said Bradshaw.

“The only words we said to him was ‘drop the items,’” Bradshaw told reporters. “He put the gas can down and pointed the shotgun at the officers.”

He held up a grainy photo of the suspect carrying a shotgun.

Law enforcement officers were not injured in the incident.

The suspect was reported missing a few days ago by his family and investigators believe he left North Carolina and headed south, picking up a shotgun along the way, Secret Service spokesman Anthony Guglielmi said.

The FBI is leading the investigation, Bradshaw added.

open image in gallery

Trump is yet to comment publicly on the shooting but White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt praised the Secret Service in a statement on X.

“In the middle of the night while most Americans were asleep, the United States Secret Service acted quickly and decisively to neutralize a crazy person, armed with a gun and a gas canister, who intruded President Trump’s home,” Leavitt said.

FBI director Kash Patel said the bureau was dedicating “all necessary resources” into the investigation in a brief statement on social media.

“FBI is dedicating all necessary resources in the investigation of this morning’s incident at President Trump’s Mar-A-Lago - where an armed individual was shot and killed after unlawfully entering the perimeter,” Patel said in a post on X. “We will continue working closely with @SecretService as well our state and federal partners and will provide updates as we are able.”

Trump has faced threats to his life before, including an assassination attempt during a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania on July 13, 2024.

And on September 15, 2024, a man with a rifle was captured after waiting near Trump's golf course in West Palm Beach while the president played a round. He was sentenced to life in prison earlier this month.