US Secret Service kills armed man attempting to enter Trump's Mar-a-Lago

US Secret Service agents shot and killed an armed man early on Sunday (February 22) after he entered the secured grounds of President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida, officials said. The incident occurred around 1:30 am (0630 GMT). Trump was in Washington at the time and was not at the property. According to Secret Service spokesman Anthony Guglielmi, agents saw a man unlawfully entering the estate’s secure perimeter. In a statement, the agency said the suspect, believed to be in his early 20s, was spotted near the north gate carrying what appeared to be a shotgun and a fuel can.

Agents confronted the individual and ordered him to drop the items. Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw said the man put down the fuel can but then raised the shotgun into a firing position. At that point, a sheriff’s deputy and two Secret Service agents opened fire. The suspect was pronounced dead at the scene. No law enforcement officers were injured, and no Secret Service protectees were present at the property.

Also Read: Taliban summons Pakistan's ambassador over airstrikes, accuses Islamabad of bombing 'civilian areas'

Authorities have not released the suspect’s name as they work to notify his family. The episode comes amid a series of threats and attacks targeting Trump. Earlier this month, Ryan Routh, 59, was sentenced to life in prison for plotting to assassinate Trump at a Florida golf course in September 2024. That plan followed a separate assassination attempt two months earlier in Pennsylvania, where 20-year-old Matthew Crooks fired several shots at a campaign rally, grazing Trump’s right ear.

One rally attendee was killed in that attack, and Crooks was fatally shot by security personnel at the scene. His motive remains unclear. Sunday’s shooting marks the latest instance of political violence in an increasingly divided United States of America.