The United States Secret Service confirmed early Sunday morning that agents shot and killed a man armed with what appeared to be a shotgun after he allegedly tried to break into President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate in the middle of the night.
According to officials, the incident happened around 1:30 a.m. when agents, alongside a deputy from the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office, responded to an unauthorized breach near the north gate of the property. Authorities say the man, believed to be in his early 20s, was carrying what looked like a shotgun and a fuel can when he was confronted. Shots were fired during the encounter, and the suspect was pronounced dead at the scene.
Authorities said no Secret Service protectees were on the property at the time of the shooting, meaning the agents assigned to protect the president and the first family were not present. The confirmation indicates President Trump was not at Mar-a-Lago when the suspect attempted to carry out his plot. No agents or deputies were injured during the incident.
The shooting is now being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, along with the Secret Service and local authorities. As is standard procedure, the agents involved have been placed on administrative leave pending the outcome of the investigation.
Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw gave an update on the situation on Sunday morning, saying that the FBI was taking the lead in the investigation and that the Palm Beach County authorities would do whatever they could to assist.
Bradshaw also confirmed that when approached by law enforcement, the suspect had been ordered to drop the gas can and the shotgun — but instead, he had dropped the gas can and raised the shotgun to &#8220;shooting position.&#8221; At that point, Secret Service agents had acted to &#8220;neutralize the threat.&#8221;
WATCH:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
🚨 BREAKING: Palm Beach County sheriff gives an update on the shooting at Mar-a-Lago: <a href="https://t.co/7zocm5pv3q">https://t.co/7zocm5pv3q</a> <a href="https://t.co/sVnShagrQh">pic.twitter.com/sVnShagrQh</a>
— Breaking911 (@Breaking911) <a href="https://twitter.com/Breaking911/status/2025579855429906588?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 22, 2026</a></blockquote>
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Jordan Schroeder

Armed Intruder With Shotgun Sparks Deadly Secret Service Response At Mar-A-Lago