Motive for the Mar-a-Lago shooting: To assassinate Trump and Melania? Suspect details released
Mar-a-Lago shooting updates: An armed man was shot and killed after entering the secure perimeter of President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Florida, the Secret Service and FBI announced Sunday. While the suspect’s identity has not been released, authorities shared key details. The incident occurred at 1:30 a.m. local time on Sunday.
Assassinate Trump?
The president has been the subject of numerous assassination attempts before. In July 2024, the 79-year-old was shot and wounded by a man at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. In September of that year, Secret Service agents spotted a man armed with a rifle waiting near the Presidential Golf Course in West Palm Beach and subsequently arrested him. He was sentenced to life in prison.
In a statement about Sunday’s incident, officials said: “The individual has been pronounced dead and his identity is being withheld pending notification of next of kin. The individual was seen at the north gate of Mar-a-Lago armed with a shotgun and a fuel can.”
It was unclear whether the person was targeting Trump, who usually spends weekends at Mar-a-Lago. The president and his wife, first lady Melania Trump, were at the White House on Saturday night.
The official statement further added: “U.S. Secret Service agents and a PBSO deputy confronted the individual, and law enforcement officers fired shots during the confrontation. No U.S. Secret Service or PBSO personnel were injured. There were no Secret Service protective officers on scene at the time of the incident.”
First details of suspect
The suspect is in his early twenties and from North Carolina. He drove through the north gate of Mar-a-Lago when another car pulled out, according to Secret Service spokesman Anthony Guglielmi.
The suspect was confronted by agents armed with a shotgun, and the box containing the shotgun was later found in his car.
Investigators believe the man left North Carolina days earlier and headed south, picking up shotguns along the way.
His family reported him missing shortly before the incident.
The motive remains under investigation and authorities are working to compile a suspect profile.
