21-Year-Old Gunman Shot Dead After Mar-a-Lago Break-In Attempt Was ‘Raised in Proud MAGA Household,’ Family Says

The family of a gunman who entered Donald Trump’s Palm Beach residence said they are shocked by his actions. During the wee hours of February 22, Austin Tucker Martin breached the perimeter of Mar-a-Lago carrying a gas can and a shotgun.

The 21-year-old man from Cameron, North Carolina, was shot by agents from the U.S. Secret Service agents after authorities said he refused to lower his weapon. Trump was in Washington D.C. when the incident occurred.

Martin’s family in Cameron frantically searched for their son and reported him missing to authorities around the time of the breach. His relatives have now revealed that they are astounded, as Martin neither showed any violent tendencies or hostility toward the president and came from a family that supports Trump.

Martin's cousin, Braeden Fields, said in an interview with ABC, “We are big Trump supporters. All of us. Everybody.”

Fields added that Martin had little experience with firearms, “He doesn't even know how to use a gun. He's never used a gun.”

“I'm a big hunter, and I've, I've had him around guns all the time, and he's never used one. He won't, he don't like them. He don't like it, it hurts his ears. We took him to shoot guns, but he won't touch them. The only gun he's used is a BB gun,” Fields said.

Another acquaintance, Clarice Bonillo told the New York Times, “He is from a very pro-Trump family and fit into that narrative. But he wouldn’t go out of his way to bash anybody from the left side or start arguments or anything like that. He had his opinion, and he mostly kept it to himself.”

Martin finished high school about three years ago and established an art company in 2025 that specialized in golf course paintings. According to law enforcement officials, Martin headed from North Carolina to Florida on February 21 and obtained a shotgun during the trip.

Authorities said Martin entered Mar-a-Lago through the north gate about 1:30 a.m. on February 22. When the Secret Service officials noticed his activity, agents confronted him and ordered to lower his weapon. According to authorities, Martin placed the gas canister on the ground, but did not lower his gun.

Family members filed a missing person report at 1:38 a.m., minutes after authorities said he entered the property. They later learned he was involved in an active federal investigation in Florida.

Martin’s cousin has stated that the family, particularly his mother, is devastated and has completely broken down in the aftermath of the event. “I wouldn’t believe he would do something like this. It’s mind-blowing,” Fields said.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the US Secret Service, and the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office are currently investigating the incident.