Mar-a-Lago shooting: Armed man shot and killed near President Trump’s home
On Sunday, February 22, 2026, an armed man was shot and killed at President Donald Trump’s home and club, Mar-a-Lago, after breaching a secure perimeter.
An armed man was shot and killed by U.S. Secret Service agents on suspicion of breaching a secure perimeter at President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago compound in Florida, the latest in a long list of recent security threats against the president.
Trump was in Washington over the weekend but was not on the premises at the time. State and federal authorities continue to investigate, and the Palm Beach Sheriff’s Office has identified the man who was shot as Austin Tucker Martin.
The most serious threat to the president is the multiple assassination attempts on his life, particularly the mass shooting in Butler, Pennsylvania, while Trump was on the campaign trail in 2024. But security risks also include things like poisonous letters and violent social media posts.
As violence against elected officials surges, here’s what you need to know about past incidents targeting Trump.
July 2024, assassination attempt in Butler, Pennsylvania
On July 13, 2024, an assassination attempt on President Trump while he was speaking at a rally near Butler, Pennsylvania shocked the United States. The gunman, identified by the FBI as Thomas Matthew Crooks, opened fire on the rally from a nearby building, killing one spectator and wounding two others, as well as damaging Trump’s ear.
Crooks was killed by Secret Service agents during the chaos. Secret Service spokesman Anthony Guglielmi said in a statement at the time that Crooks took up position on a rooftop more than 100 yards from the rally and fired several shots at the stage.
President Trump, blood pouring from his face, raised his fist at his supporters and was escorted from the scene. In a campaign email sent late at night on July 13, 2024, he told the American people, “I will never surrender.”
An assassination attempt that occurred in West Palm Beach, Florida in September 2024.
President Trump witnessed a second possible assassination attempt while in Florida in late 2024. On September 15, 2024, the president was golfing at his course in West Palm Beach when Secret Service agents spotted a rifle shooting through the fenced perimeter of the course.
Investigators fired shots at the suspect, Ryan Wesley Routh, and pursued him. Routh did not fire and was later stopped by Martin County Sheriff’s Department officers on September 15, about 66 miles from the golf course.
Routh was later convicted of attempting to kill Trump and sentenced to life in prison on February 4.
The USA TODAY Network’s Palm Beach Post reported that since Trump’s first presidential victory in 2016, there have been at least 11 safety-related incidents at Trump’s Palm Beach mansion and other Trump family properties in South Florida, including mansions, private clubs and golf courses.
Other incidents include poisoned letters, death threats, etc.
President Trump has faced a number of other national security incidents, including online threats and multiple poisonous letters delivered to the White House. Letters and packages containing ricin, a poison found in castor beans, have been sent to the president and other U.S. officials in the past, including in 2018 and 2020.
A suspect awaiting trial on robbery and assault charges in Wisconsin allegedly sent a series of violent letters to state and federal authorities last year.
President Trump has yet to publicly comment on the Feb. 22 Mar-a-Lago shooting.
Contributor: Antonio Fins, Palm Beach Post. Kinsey Crowley, Hannah Phillips, Hana Karile, USA TODAY NETWORK
Kate Perez covers national trends and breaking news for USA TODAY. You can reach her at kperez@usatodayco.com or X @katecperez_.
