An aerial view of President Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate, Wednesday, Aug. 10, 2022, in Palm Beach, Fla.Steve Helber/AP
An armed man was fatally shot on Sunday after driving into the secure perimeter of Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate as another vehicle was exiting, according to a spokesperson for the US Secret Service.
“The individual was observed by the north gate of the Mar-a-Lago property carrying what appeared to be a shotgun and a fuel can,” the Secret Service’s press release reads. “US Secret Service and a [Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office] deputy confronted the individual and shots were fired by law enforcement during the encounter.”
The president and First Lady Melania Trump were at the White House at the time of the shooting.
At a press conference on Sunday morning, Palm Beach County Sheriff Rick Bradshaw said that the man was ordered to drop the two pieces of equipment that he was carrying. In response, “he put down the gas can [and] raised the shotgun to a shooting position.”
According to Anthony Guglielmi, the Secret Service’s Chief of Communications, the suspect was in his early 20s and from North Carolina. He was reported missing a few days ago by his family.
Guglielmi said that investigators believe the man picked up a shotgun on the way to Florida. Law enforcement recovered a box for the gun in the suspect’s vehicle.
The Sunday incident at Mar-a-Lago took place a few miles from Trump’s West Palm Beach club, where a man tried to assassinate him while he played golf during the 2024 campaign.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
