The US Secret Service shot and killed an armed man early Sunday after he allegedly attempted to breach the perimeter of President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago club in Florida.
In a statement, the Secret Service said the suspect was carrying a shotgun and a gas canister when he crossed into a restricted area near the estate’s north gate at about 1:30 a.m. ET. Trump, who maintains a residence at the Palm Beach property, was at the White House at the time.
Palm Beach County Sheriff Rick Bradshaw said during a press briefing that a sheriff’s deputy and two Secret Service agents responded after the man entered the secure zone.
“They encountered a white male carrying a gas can and a shotgun,” Bradshaw said. “He was instructed to drop the items. He put down the gas can but raised the shotgun into a firing position.”
At that point, the deputy and the two agents opened fire, fatally wounding the suspect. Authorities said the man was in his early 20s. His identity has not been released pending notification of his family.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has launched an investigation into the shooting.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said the Secret Service “acted quickly and decisively” in response to the threat. She also criticised Democrats over the ongoing partial government shutdown, which has impacted the Department of Homeland Security — the agency that oversees the Secret Service.
The Department of Homeland Security has been partially closed for more than a week amid a funding impasse. Democrats have pushed for changes to immigration enforcement policies before approving additional funding, following the fatal shooting of two US citizens by federal agents in Minneapolis.
The incident follows previous security threats involving Trump. In July 2024, a gunman opened fire from a rooftop during a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, before being killed by a Secret Service sniper. Two months later, another suspect was arrested after allegedly waiting with a rifle outside a golf course where Trump was playing. He was later convicted and sentenced to life in prison.
