North Carolina man shot, killed by Secret Service and local deputy outside of Mar-a-Lago in Florida

PALM BEACH, Fla. — A North Carolina man authorities alleged was carrying a shotgun and a gas canister was fatally shot by U.S. Secret Service agents and a deputy sheriff early Sunday outside of President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago residence, according to the Secret Service.

The shooting unfolded around 1:30 a.m. local time near the north main gate of the estate, Rafael Barros, special agent in charge of the U.S. Secret Service’s Miami field office, said at a news conference later Sunday.

“We want to be clear: the president of the United States was not in the state of Florida,” Barros said.

No “Secret Service protectees” were at the property at the time of the shooting, according to a statement from a Secret Service spokesperson earlier Sunday.

The man killed was identified later Sunday morning as 21-year-old Austin Tucker Martin from Moore County, North Carolina.

The Moore County Sheriff’s Office reported that a relative of Martin reported him missing at approximately 1:38 a.m. Sunday. He was then entered into a national missing person database, with no prior history with the sheriff’s office.

Following the report, federal authorities contacted the sheriff’s office, stating they were conducting an active investigation in Florida involving Martin. The sheriff’s office was requested to turn the missing person case over to federal investigators.

Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw said at Sunday’s news conference outside of Mar-a-Lago that Martin was shot after he allegedly pointed the shotgun at the law enforcement officers.

Bradshaw said Martin had made his way into the inner perimeter of Mar-a-Lago and that he was confronted by two Secret Service Agents and a deputy sheriff.

“They confronted (Martin) that was carrying a gas can and a shotgun,” Bradshaw said.

He later held up a printed copy of photo he said showed the weapon and canister.

“He was ordered to drop those two pieces of equipment that he had with him, at which time he put down the gas can, raised the shotgun to a shooting position,” Bradshaw said of the alleged intruder.

“At that point in time, the deputy and the two Secret Service agents fired their weapons and neutralized the threat,” Bradshaw said, adding that Martin was pronounced dead at the scene.

“Fortunately, nobody was injured inside because of the quick action that was taken by the deputy and the Secret Service,” Bradshaw said.

Investigators are determining how many shots were fired in the incident and whether the alleged intruder fired at shot at the law enforcement officers, who were part of the security detail at Mar-a-Lago, Bradshaw said. He added that it wasn’t yet known whether the shotgun was loaded.

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The FBI is spearheading investigation, said Brett Skiles, the special agent in charge of the FBI’s Miami field office, adding that FBI personnel was on the scene collecting evidence.

A motive for the incident is unknown at this time, officials said.

Skiles asked residents living near Mar-a-Lago to check their exterior security cameras for footage from Saturday night into early Sunday morning for “anything that looks suspicious or out of place,” and to contact the FBI or the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office if they do.

News contributed to this report.