A missing NC man killed at Mar-a-Lago has been identified as 21-year-old Austin Tucker Martin. Secret Service agents shot him after he breached the property armed with a shotgun, days after his family reported him missing.
Palm Beach, FL — A late-night security breach turned deadly outside President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate after a 21-year-old North Carolina man armed with a shotgun was shot and killed by the U.S. Secret Service.
Authorities say Austin Tucker Martin, who is from the Carthage, North Carolina area, unlawfully entered the secure perimeter of the Palm Beach property around 1:30 a.m. Sunday while carrying a shotgun and a fuel can. At the time of the incident, Trump and First Lady Melania Trump were reportedly in Washington, D.C.
According to United States Secret Service officials, two agents — along with a deputy from the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office — confronted Martin near the north side of the property.
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Sheriff Ric Bradshaw told reporters the suspect was ordered to drop both the shotgun and the fuel can.
“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,” Bradshaw said during a Sunday morning press conference.
Investigators say Martin put down the fuel can — but then allegedly raised the shotgun in what officials described as a threatening posture toward officers. That’s when shots were fired.
Martin was pronounced dead at the scene. No law enforcement officers or Secret Service agents were injured.
REPORTED MISSING DAYS BEFORE DEADLY BREACH
Authorities confirmed Martin had been reported missing by family members in North Carolina just days before the incident.
Relatives had shared urgent pleas on social media, saying it was “not like him” to disappear without contact. A missing person flyer circulating online stated that Martin was last heard from on February 21 at 7:51 p.m. He was believed to be driving a 2013 silver Volkswagen Tiguan and lived in the Carthage area.
Investigators now believe Martin traveled south in the days leading up to the breach and obtained the shotgun along the way.
A new report from TMZ is shedding light on what may have been going through Austin Tucker Martin’s mind in the weeks leading up to the deadly breach at Mar-a-Lago.
According to TMZ, people who knew the 21-year-old North Carolina man described him as typically “apolitical,” but say that recently changed. Sources told the outlet Martin had grown increasingly frustrated over what he believed was a slow, heavily redacted release of the Jeffrey Epstein files.
The report claims Martin became consumed with conspiracy theories surrounding government secrecy. TMZ cited text messages he allegedly sent to a co-worker that reflected his growing anger over the issue.
Co-workers at Pine Needles Lodge & Golf Club in North Carolina, where Martin was employed, told TMZ he often expressed frustration that powerful figures were “getting away with it” — referring to individuals connected to the Epstein files.
In one text message dated February 15, 2026, and obtained by TMZ, Martin reportedly wrote:
“I don’t know if you read up on the Epstein Files, but evil is real and unmistakable.”
He continued:
“The best people like you and I can do is use what little influence we have. Tell other people about what you hear about the Epstein files and what the government is doing about it. Raise awareness.”
At this time, authorities have not officially confirmed any motive behind Martin’s actions. Law enforcement agencies have not publicly linked the shooting to the Epstein files, and the investigation remains ongoing.
