January 1, Secret Service Shoots Intruder At Mar-a-Lago

Wyatt’s Take

• Secret Service agents stopped a shotgun-toting man at Mar-a-Lago.
• The suspect was killed after refusing orders and raising his weapon.
• Trump and his wife were not at the property during the incident.

Early Sunday morning, an armed man tried to break into President Trump’s Mar-a-Lago home in Florida. Secret Service agents and a Palm Beach deputy confronted the man, who had a shotgun and a gas can.

Press officials explained that agents ordered him to drop his equipment. The man put down the gas can but raised his shotgun, which led law enforcement to shoot and kill him.

“An armed man was shot & killed by U.S. Secret Service agents & @PBCountySheriff after unlawfully entering the secure perimeter at Mar-a-Lago early this morning. A press briefing with additional details will be held at 9:00 a.m with @FBI and Palm Beach County,” Secret Service Chief of Communications Anthony Gugliemi wrote.

Sheriff Rick Bradshaw said, “At 1:30 this morning the security detail detected an individual had made his way into the inner perimeter of Mar-a-Lago. A deputy and two Secret Service agents on the detail went to that area to investigate. They confronted a white male that was carrying a gas can and a shotgun. He was ordered to drop those two pieces of equipment that he had with him and, at which time he put down the gas can, raised the shotgun to a shooting position, and at that point in time the deputy and the two Secret Service agents fired their weapons and neutralized the threat. He is deceased at the scene.”

The man was publicly identified as Austin Tucker Martin. Trump and the First Lady were in Washington, D.C. for a governors’ dinner at the time.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt wrote, “In the middle of the night while most Americans were asleep, the United States Secret Service acted quickly and decisively to neutralize a crazy person, armed with a gun and a gas canister, who intruded President Trump’s home. Federal law enforcement are working 24/7 to keep our country safe and protect all Americans. It’s shameful and reckless that Democrats have chosen to shut down their Department.”

This comes after Trump survived two previous assassination attempts in 2024. On September 15, a gunman was stopped at the Trump International Golf Club. On July 13, Trump was grazed by a bullet at a rally in Pennsylvania.

This is a breaking story and updates are expected.

Read the full story here

Wyatt Matters

Americans rely on law enforcement to defend our safety and our leaders. No matter the threats faced, the security of home and nation comes first for families all across the heartland.