PALM BEACH, FL — Relatives of the man killed after authorities say he tried to force his way into Mar-a-Lago described him as quiet, inexperienced with guns and uninterested in politics. Austin Tucker Martin, 21, was shot and killed after Florida authorities said he breached the resort’s perimeter early Sunday carrying a shotgun and a gas canister.
Family members said the picture emerging online did not match the person they knew. His cousin, Braeden Fields, said Martin had never shown an appetite for deadly weapons and usually avoided political talk altogether. Federal investigators were still examining the incident as more details about Martin’s life, work and final hours came into focus.
Family says Martin avoided guns and politics
Fields told ABC station WTVD that Martin “doesn’t even know how to use a gun” and had never used one. He said the only weapon Martin had ever touched was a BB gun, despite being around hunting and firearms in the family.
Fields added that Martin disliked guns because they were loud and bothered his ears. He said the family had taken him shooting before, but Martin would not handle the weapons. In Fields’ telling, Martin was “very quiet” and far from someone who would seek out a violent confrontation tied to politics.
According to Fields, Martin and his family were also “big Trump supporters,” which made the incident even harder for them to understand. “He never really talked about politics,” Fields said.
Missing-person call came hours before investigators linked him to Mar-a-Lago
Martin’s family reported him missing early Sunday, around the same period authorities say he was at Mar-a-Lago. The Moore County Sheriff’s Office said a relative approached a deputy at a local business at approximately 1:38 a.m. on February 22, 2026, to say Martin was missing.
Police in Florida said the Mar-a-Lago incident began at 1:30 a.m. when security detected someone had entered the inner perimeter of the property. When officers responded, they confronted a white male carrying a gas can and a shotgun. Authorities say Martin was then killed during the confrontation.
The sheriff’s office said Martin was entered into a national missing person database. Federal authorities later told the family they were conducting an active investigation in Florida involving Martin, and the missing-person case was handed over to federal investigators.
Trump was in Washington as the breach unfolded at his Florida resort
Authorities said Martin was trying to enter the private resort in Palm Beach while former President Donald Trump was not there. Trump was in Washington, D.C., at the time of the incident.
The Florida resort has long been one of Trump’s most closely watched properties, with security in place around the grounds. In this case, authorities said the inner perimeter alert led to a quick response that ended with the fatal shooting.
No motive has been publicly established. The details released so far center on the sequence of the intrusion, Martin’s possession of the shotgun and gas canister, and the rapid involvement of both local and federal investigators.
North Carolina relatives describe a golf-course worker with artistic interests
Fields said Martin worked at a golf course preparing it for the season. He also said Martin liked golf courses and spent time around them, which fit with a separate website registered to Martin.
The website included watercolor and ink artwork of golf courses and described a mission of “bringing to life the hopeful feeling of being on a golf course.” That glimpse into his interests matched what relatives described as a young man drawn more to quiet work and art than to conflict.
Fields said Martin had an older brother in the military, but Martin’s own life appears to have centered on work, family and the golf course. He also said Martin would send his paychecks to charity, another detail that relatives point to when trying to explain who he was.
Family says social media reaction has deepened the pain
Fields said Martin’s mother has been devastated by the killing. He said the family has also had to watch strangers attack Martin online before many people knew anything about him beyond the police description of the incident.
“If no one really knew him, you wouldn’t get him,” Fields said. “He’s a good kid.” He also said the family had been stunned by the sequence of events, calling it “mind-blowing.”
For now, the public facts remain limited to what law enforcement has disclosed and what relatives have said about Martin’s personality. Federal investigators are handling the Florida case, while Martin’s family is left trying to reconcile their memories of him with the deadly security encounter at Mar-a-Lago.
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