Secret Service agents, the officials in charge of protecting U.S. presidents, shot and killed an armed man early on Sunday after he allegedly entered the security perimeter of Mar-a-Lago, the Palm Beach estate in Florida where U.S. President Donald Trump usually spends his weekends. Trump, however, was not there at the time; he was in Washington at the White House with his wife, Melania Trump.
The incident occurred at 1:30 a.m. The intruder, whose identity has not been released but who has been described as a man in his early 20s from North Carolina, was “observed by the north gate of the Mar-a-Lago property carrying what appeared to be a shotgun and a fuel can,” the Secret Service said in a statement. The Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office has scheduled a press conference to provide more details.
The suspect had been reported missing by his family a few days ago. Investigators believe he left North Carolina and headed south, carrying a shotgun whose case was later found in his vehicle, according to Anthony Guglielmi, Chief of Communications for the Secret Service.
The man entered through Mar-a-Lago’s north gate by taking advantage of another vehicle exiting at that moment and then confronted Secret Service agents, Guglielmi said. The agents shot him dead.
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