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A man carrying what appeared to be a shotgun and a fuel canister was shot and killed by U.S. Secret Service agents and a Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office deputy after he breached a secure perimeter at Mar-a-Lago early Sunday morning, authorities said.
The suspect, described as a white male in his early 20s, was observed near the north gate of the Florida estate around 1:30 a.m. EST, according to a statement from the Secret Service. President Donald Trump was not at the resort at the time, he had been in Washington, where he delivered remarks Saturday evening at the White House Governors Dinner.
Two Secret Service agents and a sheriff's deputy moved to confront the man after security detected the breach, Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw said at a press conference Sunday morning. When ordered to surrender the items, the suspect set down the gas canister but raised the shotgun into a firing position, Bradshaw said.
"At that point in time, the deputy and the two Secret Service agents fired their weapons and neutralized the threat," Bradshaw said. "He is deceased at the scene."
No law enforcement officers were injured in the incident.
Authorities have not released the man's name, saying identification is being withheld pending notification of next of kin. The FBI has taken the lead on the investigation and is collecting evidence from the scene, with the Secret Service and Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office also involved.
The probe will examine the individual's background, actions, potential motive and the use of force by officers, the Secret Service said. The agents involved in the shooting have been placed on administrative leave pending the outcome of the investigation, consistent with routine agency policy.
The White House referred inquiries to the Secret Service and the FBI.
The breach is the latest in a series of security incidents tied to political figures in the United States. Trump himself survived two assassination attempts in 2024 — the first at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, where a bullet grazed his ear and killed a rally attendee, and the second at his golf club in West Palm Beach, where a man with a rifle was found hiding in shrubbery. That suspect, Ryan Routh, was later found guilty of attempting to assassinate Trump and sentenced to life in prison.
The broader landscape of political violence has escalated sharply. A U.S. Capitol Police report released in January revealed the agency investigated 14,938 threat cases last year, up significantly from 9,474 in 2024. Minnesota state Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband were shot and killed, and state Sen. John Hoffman and his wife were severely injured in a shooting by the same suspect. Conservative activist Charlie Kirk was also shot and killed.
Last week, a man was arrested after rushing toward the Capitol building with a loaded shotgun.
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