Reported Missing Hours Earlier, North Carolina Man Fatally Shot After Breaching Security at President Trump’s Mar-a-Lago Estate
A Palm Beach County Sheriff vehicle blocks traffic near Mar-a-Lago, Sunday, Feb. 22, 2026, in Palm Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Marta Lavandier)
A man who was shot and killed by law enforcement after breaching the secure perimeter of President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate on Sunday had been reported missing the night before, according to posts on social media from family members.
In a Facebook message early Sunday, a woman identifying herself as his mother, Melissa Martin, said her son had not been heard from since 7:51 p.m. Saturday, the New York Times reported. Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric L. Bradshaw later identified the man as Austin Tucker Martin, 21, of Cameron. Another relative, who described herself as his aunt, wrote in a post that Martin had left home around 1 p.m. Saturday and that his disappearance was out of character; that post was later removed. She added that local authorities were working with the FBI.
The Moore County Sheriff’s Office said it opened a missing-person case early Sunday before transferring its findings to federal investigators. Officials said no one else was injured during the confrontation involving agents from the U.S. Secret Service and a Palm Beach County sheriff’s deputy. Bradshaw did not specify which officers fired their weapons after, he said, the man raised a shotgun at them, according to the Washington Post. “There’s a lot more investigation to be done,” Bradshaw said, adding that swift action by deputies and the Secret Service ensured no one inside the property was endangered.
President Donald Trump, who was in Washington at the time, had not publicly commented as of Sunday.
Records show Martin registered a small business last summer called Fresh Sky Illustrations, the Times reported. Its website said the venture aimed to capture “the hopeful feeling of being on a golf course” through artwork for gift shops and commissions. Friends and relatives in Cameron told the Associated Press that Martin came from a family of Trump supporters and was uncomfortable around firearms. A cousin, Braeden Fields, said Martin worked at a nearby golf course and donated part of every paycheck to charity. “He wouldn’t even hurt an ant,” Fields said. “He doesn’t even know how to use a gun.”
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