A man armed with a shotgun and a gas can was shot and killed by U.S. Secret Service agents after breaching the secured perimeter of former President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida early Sunday morning. The incident, which occurred around 1:30 a.m., marks the latest security threat against the former president.
According to the U.S. Secret Service and Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office, the intruder, identified as a white male in his early 20s, entered the estate’s inner security zone. He was confronted by Secret Service agents and a deputy from the Sheriff’s Office. During the encounter, the man raised the shotgun in a shooting position, prompting law enforcement to open fire. He was pronounced dead at the scene. No security personnel were injured, and Trump and his wife, Melania, were not present at the residence at the time.
The Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office and the Federal Bureau of Investigation have launched a joint investigation into the breach. Authorities are examining how the individual, who was carrying a shotgun and a container of gasoline, was able to penetrate the estate’s security measures. The possession of a gas can suggests a potential intent for arson or other destructive purposes.
This event is the third significant security incident involving Trump in less than a year. On July 13, 2024, Trump survived an assassination attempt during a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, where a 20-year-old gunman fired multiple rounds, grazing Trump’s ear and killing one attendee. The shooter was neutralized by a Secret Service counter-sniper team. In September 2024, a heavily armed man, 59-year-old Ryan Routh, was arrested near Trump’s golf club in West Palm Beach, Florida, in a separate alleged assassination plot. Routh was recently sentenced to life in prison.
The repeated threats underscore the persistent and high-level security challenges surrounding the former president. The ongoing investigation will focus on the intruder’s motives, potential accomplices, and any failures in security protocol. The Secret Service continues to face scrutiny over its protective operations in the wake of these incidents. The outcome of the federal and local probe will be closely watched as Trump remains a central figure in national politics.
