An armed man in his 20s was shot dead after illegally breaching the security perimeter at Mar-a-Lago, President Donald Trump's Florida resort, early Saturday morning, the U.S. Secret Service said.
Trump frequently spends weekends at Mar-a-Lago but was staying at the White House in Washington, D.C., when the incident occurred, according to the Associated Press.
The incident took place around 1:30 a.m. local time on Saturday. The man, carrying what appeared to be a shotgun and a fuel canister, drove through the north gate of Mar-a-Lago as another vehicle was exiting and then confronted Secret Service agents. He was fatally shot by Secret Service agents assigned to presidential protection and Palm Beach County sheriff's deputies.
Investigators are examining the motive behind the intrusion attempt. According to the AP, the man in his early 20s was from North Carolina, and his family had filed a missing person report days earlier.
"Investigators have determined that he acquired the shotgun while traveling south from North Carolina," Secret Service spokesman Anthony Guglielmi said. "The gun box was found inside the man's vehicle."
Trump was wounded in the ear during an assassination attempt at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on July 13, 2024. On September 15 of the same year, an armed man was arrested at a Florida golf course where Trump was playing a round.