Secret Service Shoots, Kills Armed Man Who Breached Mar-a-Lago Perimeter

The United States Secret Service shot and killed an armed man who illegally entered the secure perimeter of President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida early Sunday morning, the agency has confirmed.

The suspect, described as a man in his early 20s, was confronted by agents around 1:30 am (0630 GMT) after he was observed approaching the north gate of the property carrying what appeared to be a shotgun and a fuel can.

“An armed man was shot & killed by U.S. Secret Service agents & @PBCountySheriff after unlawfully entering the secure perimeter at Mar-a-Lago early this morning,” agency spokesman Anthony Guglielmi said in a post on X.

According to an agency statement, agents confronted the man and fired shots. No officers were injured in the incident.

President Trump was not present at the estate at the time of the breach, officials confirmed, as he was in Washington.

Context of Heightened Security

The shooting comes amid heightened security concerns surrounding the former president, who has been the target of multiple assassination plots and attempts in recent years.

Earlier this month, Ryan Routh, a 59-year-old man who plotted to assassinate Trump at a Florida golf course in September 2024 just two months before the presidential election was sentenced to life in prison.

The incident also follows a separate assassination attempt on Trump in Pennsylvania in July 2024, during which 20-year-old Matthew Crooks fired several shots at a rally, one grazing the president’s right ear. A rallygoer was killed in that attack. Crooks was fatally shot by security forces at the scene, and his motive has never been officially determined.

Authorities have not yet released the identity of the suspect involved in Sunday’s breach, and investigations into the incident are ongoing.