Mar-a-Lago intruder puts the gas can down without hesitation, then points his shotgun directly at law enforcement and seals his own fate

A man was shot and killed by law enforcement after he broke through the security perimeter at Mar-a-Lago and pointed a shotgun at officers. The incident happened in the early hours, and ended in a fatal confrontation.

Palm Beach County Sheriff Rick Bradshaw gave details of the event at a news conference in West Palm Beach. He said that the security team at Mar-a-Lago spotted a man inside the inner perimeter at around 1:30 AM. According to Mediaite, A deputy and two Secret Service agents then moved in to check the area. The individual was described as a white male in his twenties. When officers approached him, they saw he was carrying both a gas can and a shotgun.

Sheriff Bradshaw described what happened: “They confronted a white male that was carrying a gas can and a shotgun. He was ordered to drop those two pieces of equipment that he had with him, at which time he put down the gas can, raised the shotgun to a shooting position. At that point in time, the deputy and the two Secret Service agents fired their weapons and neutralized the threat. He is deceased at the scene.”

Officers gave a clear and direct order, and the intruder’s response left them no choice

When reporters asked about what was said to the man, Sheriff Bradshaw was clear. “Only words that we said to him was drop the items, which means the gas can and the shotgun,” he said. He then added, “He put the gas can down and pointed the shotgun at the officers,” which led to the shooting. Mar-a-Lago has been at the center of several controversies recently, including a controversial dinner that put Trump under scrutiny.

The FBI is now leading the investigation. Special Agent Brett Skiles asked people living near the area to check their outdoor cameras for any footage from Saturday night or early Sunday morning. “If you see anything that looks suspicious or out of place, please contact us,” Skiles said.

Secret Service Special Agent Rafael Berrios confirmed that no law enforcement officers were hurt during the incident. He also made clear that President Trump was not in Florida at the time, as he had been hosting a dinner in Washington on Saturday. Trump has also been in the news lately over his public falling out with Zelensky following Mar-a-Lago talks.

“We want to be clear, the President of the United States was not in the state of Florida. And this remains an active investigation by the FBI,” Berrios confirmed. The investigation is still ongoing, and the FBI is urging the local community to come forward with any information or footage that could help them understand what led to the incident.