The armed man shot and killed by Secret Service agents at Mar-a-Lago after he was seen stalking onto President Trump’s estate with a shotgun and a gas canister in hand lost his older sister in a head-on car crash years earlier.
Austin Tucker Martin, 21, of Cameron, North Carolina, was reported missing by his family on Saturday. He was killed by local cops and Secret Service stationed at Mar-a-Lago early Sunday morning after he was seen sneaking into a secure perimeter armed with a shotgun and a gas can.
Austin reportedly dropped the gas can when ordered, but “raised the shotgun to a shooting position,” forcing the officers to “[neutralize] the threat,” Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw told reporters during a press conference Sunday.
Caitlin Renea Martin, Austin’s older sister, was killed in a brutal head-on car crash in August 2023, The Pilotreported.
She was also 21 at the time of her death.
Caitlin was attempting to cut across a southbound lane near her family home when she was rammed by a Ford pickup truck, which was running without its headlights on. Her car spun out of control and smashed into a guardrail before careening over the barrier, the outlet reported.
The teenage pickup truck driver was treated for minor injuries, but Caitlin died at the hospital.
“Caitlin was kind and she loved animals. She loved her cats Meatball and ‘Juice.’ She was brave and adventurous, recently trying her hand at skateboarding which resulted in a broken wrist. She had a unique way of looking at the world and was still trying to find her place in it. She was greatly loved by her family and friends and we have all been blessed to have her for the short time she was with us,” her family wrote in her obituary.
Now, Army hopeful Jacob Cade Martin is the only surviving sibling in his family.
Their mother, Melissa Martin, created a missing person poster for Austin after he vanished Saturday night, urging her friends to help “find my boy.” She said that he was likely driving a 2013 silver Volkswagen Tiguan, according to her social media.
The vehicle Austin drove was found on site. Secret Service spokesman Anthony Guglielmi said authorities found a box for the shotgun inside the car after the shooting.
Austin had a criminal record with at least one prior arrest, but the exact details are still unclear.
Trump was not on site during the shooting. He was at the White House in Washington DC, where he hosted the Governor’s Dinner on Saturday.
Authorities have urged nearby residents in South Florida to check their security cameras for any footage that may show Austin.
The incident at Mar-a-Lago took place just a few miles from Trump’s West Palm Beach club, where Ryan Routh tried to assassinate the president while he played golf during the 2024 election. Routh was sentenced to life in prison earlier this month.
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