O US Secret Service reported this Sunday (22) that its agents shot dead a man who tried to illegally enter the resort’s security perimeter Mar-a-Lagoowned by the former president Donald Trumpin West Palm Beach, Florida.
The suspect, estimated to be between 20 and 30 years old, was from North Carolina and had been missing for a few days, according to family members. His identity has not yet been released. Investigators believe he left North Carolina for Florida, carrying a shotgun and a gallon of gas, according to Secret Service spokesman Anthony Guglielmi. The gun box was found inside the man’s vehicle.
The incident occurred at around 1:30 am. The man was seen at the north gate of Mar-a-Lago as another vehicle was leaving the area. When approached by Secret Service agents, he was armed and ended up being shot dead. A Palm Beach County sheriff also participated in the action. The suspect’s motivation and psychological profile are still being investigated.
At the time of the incident, Donald Trump was not there, as he was in Washington, accompanied by the First Lady, Melania Trump. Trump usually spends weekends in Florida, but was absent at the time of the attempted invasion.
The episode adds to a series of threats suffered by the former president in recent years. On July 13, 2024, Trump survived an assassination attempt at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, when he was grazed in the ear. In September of the same year, a man armed with a rifle was captured near a Trump golf course in West Palm Beach and sentenced to life in prison this month.
The Secret Service reinforced that it maintains strict protocols to protect the properties and people under its responsibility, preventing incidents like this from resulting in tragedies.
