Two U.S. Secret Service agents and a Palm Beach County Sheriff’s deputy shot and killed a man who had tried to enter President Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate early Sunday with a shotgun and a gas can.
The incident occurred around 1:30 a.m. Sunday. Mr. Trump was not at his Mar-a-Lago estate, as he and the first lady stayed in Washington this weekend to host a governor’s dinner Saturday night.
A White man in his early 20s crossed the north gate of the property carrying a shotgun and a gas can.
The two Secret Service agents and the sheriff’s deputy, who we were working security, confronted the man and ordered him to drop the items, Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw said at a news conference.
“He put down the gas can, raised the shotgun to a shooting position,” Sheriff Bradshaw said. “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’s name is being withheld until next of kin can be notified of his death. His background and motive are under investigation.
Mr. Bradshaw said he did not yet know how many shots were fired or which law enforcement officer fired the kill shot.
The Secret Service, the FBI and the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office are investigating the use of force.
The two agents involved in the shooting will be placed on “routine administrative leave” pending the outcome of that investigation, the Secret Service said.
The FBI is leading the investigation into the man’s movements and motives.
Brett Skiles, special agent in charge of the FBI’s Miami field office, asked the public who live in the area to check footage from their exterior cameras recorded Saturday night and early Sunday morning and flag anything that seems suspicious or out of place.
Authorities did not say whether the man intended to target the president. If that turns out to be the case, it would be the third assassination attempt on Mr. Trump.
The first two occurred during the 2024 presidential campaign.
Mr. Trump was speaking at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on July 13 that year when 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks fired shots at the stage. One bullet grazed Mr. Trump’s ear. Others hit innocent bystanders, one of whom was killed.
A Secret Service sniper killed Crooks. The agency has said it could have done a better job preparing for the rally and communicating with other law enforcement agencies that were helping provide security.
The FBI concluded that Crooks acted alone but never identified his motive for wanting to kill Mr. Trump.
The second assassination attempt came a few months later on Sept. 15 when Ryan Wesley Routh posted outside Mr. Trump’s golf club in West Palm Beach, Florida.
As Mr. Trump was playing golf, the Secret Service agent patrolling one hole ahead of him spotted Routh pointing a SKS-style rifle through the fence and opened fire.
Routh fled in a vehicle but was later arrested. His rifle was found equipped with a scope, a magazine containing nineteen rounds of ammunition, and the safety off.
During his trial, a witness testified that Routh had dropped off a box at his residence that included a handwritten confession letter addressed “Dear World.”
“This was an assassination attempt on Donald Trump, but I am so sorry I failed you,” Routh wrote. “I tried my best and gave it all the gumption I could muster. It is up to you now to finish the job; and I will offer $150,000 to whomever can complete the job.”
Routh, who is now 60, was convicted of attempted assassination of a major presidential candidate and sentenced to life in prison.
• Lindsey McPherson can be reached at lmcpherson@washingtontimes.com.
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