NYP: Gunman identified as local artist after failed attempt at Trump’s estate

The armed man carrying a shotgun and a gasoline canister, who was shot while attempting to breach the residence of US President Donald Trump at Mar-a-Lago, has been identified as North Carolina-based artist Austin Tucker Martin, sources told the New York Post.

Martin, 21, specialised in painting landscapes on golf course properties, but his works had little online presence, according to the report.

The day before the incident, his family reported him missing on social media and tried to locate him.

Earlier, US Secret Service agents shot the armed man after he entered the secured grounds around Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida. 

Authorities initially ordered him to drop his weapon, but he refused and attempted to aim it at officers, prompting them to open fire.

The president has not yet issued an official response to the February 22 incident, but White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt praised the Secret Service’s quick thinking in a post on X.

In the middle of the night while most Americans were asleep, the United States Secret Service acted quickly and decisively to neutralize a crazy person, armed with a gun and a gas canister, who intruded President Trump’s home. Federal law enforcement are working 24/7 to keep our… https://t.co/MYTsHqR4cx

— Karoline Leavitt (@PressSec) February 22, 2026

“The United States Secret Service acted quickly and decisively to neutralise a crazy person, armed with a gun and a gas canister, who intruded President Trump’s home,” she wrote.

By Jeyhun Aghazada