An armed man was shot and killed after breaching the security perimeter at Mar-a-Lago.
On Sunday (Feb. 22), the U.S. Secret Service agents and a deputy from the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office shot and killed a man who entered the secure perimeter at Mar-a-Lago at around 1:30 a.m. with “what appeared to be a shotgun and a fuel can,” said the Secret Service in a statement.
The suspect's identity has not been released yet “pending notification of next of kin,” according to the statement.
Palm Beach County Sheriff Rick Bradshaw said at a press conference that a deputy and two Secret Service agents responded after security detected someone inside the Florida club's perimeter.
“They confronted a white male that was carrying a gas can and a shotgun,” Bradshaw said, per NBC News. “He was ordered to drop those two pieces of equipment that he had with him, at which time he put down the gas can, raised the shotgun to a shooting position.”
He added, “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.”
No law enforcement officers were injured, the Secret Service said.
President Donald Trump was not at Mar-a-Lago during the incident. He had delivered remarks at the White House Governors Dinner in Washington, D.C. on Saturday.
“The incident, including the individual's background, actions, potential motive, and the use of force, is under investigation by the FBI, the U.S. Secret Service, and the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office,” the Secret Service said in their statement, adding that the agents involved will be on administrative leave “pending the outcome of the investigation,” in line with routine policy.
FBI Director Kash Patel also said on X that the FBI “is dedicating all necessary resources in the investigation of this morning's incident at President Trump's Mar-A-Lago.”