A 21-year-old North Carolina man was shot dead after entering Mar-a-Lago property; his family had reported him missing days earlier.
Identity of the Intruder
The man who entered Mar-a-Lago property was 21-year-old Austin Tucker M. from North Carolina, reported AP citing a source close to the case. The young man had disappeared from home several days earlier, and on Saturday his family reported him missing to police.
According to investigators, he traveled south in the afternoon and along the way acquired a shotgun. A gun package was found in his car. On Sunday afternoon, authorities were searching his home in the town of Carthage.
Shooting Incident
The incident occurred overnight from Saturday to Sunday (February 21 to 22) around 1:30 local time. A man with a weapon and a gasoline canister entered Mar-a-Lago property through the north gate as another vehicle was leaving.
The Secret Service in a statement said he was detained by two agents and a deputy of Palm Beach County sheriff. He was ordered to drop two items he had with him. Then he put down the gasoline canister and raised the shotgun to a firing position. Palm Beach County Sheriff Rick Bradshaw stated that two agents and a deputy “used their weapons to neutralize the threat”.
Trump’s Whereabouts
When the intrusion occurred, the US president and his wife Melania Trump were not at Mar-a-Lago. They were at the White House.
“No Secret Service or PBSO officers were injured. At the time of the incident, there were no protected persons on the property under Secret Service protection” – wrote the Secret Service in a statement. The case is being investigated by the FBI, the US Secret Service, and the Palm Beach County sheriff’s office.
