An armed man was killed by authorities after he illegally entered the premises of President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago property in Florida early Sunday morning, the Secret Service announced.
The incident unfolded around 1:30 a.m. when a man in his early twenties was fatally shot by the presidential security detail and a deputy with the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office. In a written statement on the incident, Secret Service chief of communications Anthony Guglielmi said the suspect was “carrying what appeared to be a shotgun and a fuel can.”
During a press conference held by the FBI and Palm Beach County, Sheriff Rick Bradshaw confirmed that the man was wielding a shotgun and a gas can. After entering the inner perimeter, Bradshaw said the man lowered the gas can and raised his shotgun before being shot by two Secret Service agents and a sheriff’s deputy.
Neither Trump nor any other person under the Secret Service’s protection was present at Mar-a-Lago at the time of the incident, Guglielmi noted.
The president’s public schedule for Sunday shows him at the White House. Normally, he travels to his Florida resort on weekends.
Rafael Barros, special agent in charge of the Secret Service’s field office in Miami, confirmed Trump was not in Florida at the time of the incident. No law enforcement personnel were harmed.
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The suspect’s identity is being withheld until his family is notified.
The FBI is leading the investigation with assistance from the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office. Authorities promised more details as the investigation develops.
