Mar A Lago perimeter breach leaves 21-year-old dead

An armed man in his early 20s was shot and killed after he breached the perimeter at mar a lago, an episode that has prompted an FBI probe, administrative leave for the officers involved and a wave of online speculation about the identity of the man. The encounter occurred in the early hours of Sunday, Feb. 22, and investigators and family members are tracing a timeline that stretches back to the evening of Feb. 21.

Confrontation near the north gate at about 1: 30 a. m. ET

Two U. S. Secret Service agents and a Palm Beach County sheriff's deputy spotted the man at about 1: 30 a. m. ET near the north gate of the property, carrying what appeared to be a shotgun and a fuel can. Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw said the officers confronted the man, ordered him to drop his weapons and that the man — later identified as 21-year-old Austin Tucker Martin of North Carolina — lowered the gas can but "raised the shotgun to a shooting position. " At that point the agents and deputy began to shoot, killing him.

Sheriff Ric Bradshaw's briefing and outstanding questions

Bradshaw spoke to reporters at a 9: 30 a. m. ET news conference and said he did not know how many rounds the agents fired or whether Martin was known to law enforcement before the incident. He did not identify the agents or the deputy involved. All of the officers are on administrative leave while the FBI investigates the shooting, and Bradshaw did not say who fired the fatal shot.

FBI involvement and appeal to Palm Beach residents

FBI special agent Brett Skiles joined Bradshaw at the news conference and asked Palm Beach residents to check their security cameras for "anything that looks suspicious or out of place" during the night of Feb. 21 and the early morning hours of Feb. 22. The FBI is leading the investigation into the shooting; the agency did not immediately confirm Martin's identity, and that confirmation came hours after Martin's name began to circulate online following the Secret Service announcement of the shooting.

Family's missing-person post and the online reaction

The family of the missing man shared a missing-person flyer on Facebook at 7 a. m. ET on Feb. 22, six hours after the shooting at Mar A Lago, posting his name, a photo and a plea for information about his whereabouts. Martin's mother told authorities her son was last heard from at 7: 51 p. m. ET on Feb. 21 and did not respond to a request for comment. The post initially drew messages of well-wishes and prayers but was soon inundated with comments about the Mar-a-Lago shooting.

Missing-person report filed in Moore County and federal notification

A spokesperson for the Moore County Sheriff's Office in North Carolina, where Martin lived, said a relative approached a deputy and reported him missing at 1: 38 a. m. ET on Feb. 22, mere minutes after the shooting occurred. That deputy entered Martin into a national database of missing people. Federal authorities in Florida then informed the Moore County sheriff's office of an active investigation involving the missing Martin. The Moore County Sheriff's Office said it had no prior history involving Martin before the missing-person report.

Who was at the Palm Beach estate and security context

Neither Trump nor first lady Melania Trump were at Mar-a-Lago at the time of the breach; both were hosting the Governor's Association Dinner at the White House. Authorities have not said who was present at Trump's Palm Beach estate during the break-in, noting only that no Secret Service "protectees" were among them. The deputy involved in the shooting was equipped with a body-worn camera, though officials did not indicate if or when that footage will be released. The overnight break-in was not the first security breach at the president's Palm Beach