By Lauren Mascarenhas, John Miller

(CNN) — US Secret Service agents and Palm Beach County law enforcement shot and killed an armed man after he unlawfully entered the secure perimeter at Mar-a-Lago Sunday morning, the Secret Service said.

The president and first lady were at the White House in Washington, DC, at the time of the incident.

A White man in his early 20s entered the secure perimeter at Mar-a-Lago around 1:30 a.m. before he was shot by agents and a deputy with the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office, authorities said. The man appeared to be carrying a shotgun and a fuel can, Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw said at a news conference Sunday.

The man entered Mar-a-Lago through the north gate as an employee was walking out. He made it about 20 or 30 yards inside the gate before he was confronted by law enforcement, officials said.

When a deputy and two Secret Service agents encountered the man, they ordered him to drop the items. The man dropped the gas can and “raised the shotgun to a shooting position,” Bradshaw said.

The deputy and agents then fired their weapons at him and he was pronounced dead at the scene, the sheriff said. He added that the officers involved were wearing body cameras.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt praised the quick action of the Secret Service agents involved in the incident in a statement on X Sunday.

The man is from North Carolina and was reported missing Saturday by his mother, law enforcement officials said. His name is being withheld until his family is notified of his death.

The FBI is leading the investigation, with teams collecting evidence and looking into his background and motive.

The incident comes amid a backdrop of heightened political violence in the US. In July 2024, Trump survived an assassination attempt while campaigning for his second term in Pennsylvania. This month, another man who planned to assassinate the president at his West Palm Beach golf course in Florida was sentenced to life in prison.

The agency is asking residents in the area of the shooting to check their exterior cameras and contact authorities if they notice anything suspicious.

No law enforcement agents were harmed in the incident, authorities said.

The Secret Service agents involved will be placed on administrative leave during the investigation “in accordance with agency policy,” a Secret Service statement said.

The-CNN-Wire
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