Sheriff Says Man Who Breached Mar-a-Lago Perimeter Pointed Shotgun at Law Enforcement Before They Shot Him Dead

The Sheriff of Palm Beach county said Sunday that the 20-something man who breached the security perimeter at Mar-a-Lago pointed a shotgun at law enforcement officers before they shot him dead.

In a news conference Sunday morning in West Palm Beach, Sheriff Rick Bradshaw described the encounter which resulted in the death of a man authorities say was armed with a shotgun and a gas canister.

“At 1:30 this morning, the security detail detected that an individual had made his way into the inner perimeter of Mar-a-Lago,” Bradshaw said. “A deputy and two Secret Service agents on the detail went to that area to investigate. They confronted a white male that was carrying a gas can and a shotgun. He was ordered to drop those two pieces of equipment that he had with him, at which time he put down the gas can, raised the shotgun to a shooting position. At that point in time, the deputy and the two secret service agents fired their weapons and neutralized the threat. He is deceased at the scene.”

FBI special agent Brett Skiles said the bureau — which is leading the investigation — is seeking help from nearby residents who might have additional footage.

“If you live in the area of the shooting, please check your exterior cameras for last night early this morning,” Skiles said. “If you see anything that looks suspicious or out of place, please contact us.”

Secret Service special agent Rafael Berrios emphasized the fact that President Donald Trump was not at Mar-a-Lago during the time of the security breach, as he hosted a dinner in Washington on Saturday.

“No law enforcement personnel were injured during the incident,” Berrios said. “We want to be clear, the President of the United States was not in the state of Florida. And this remains an active investigation by the FBI.”

A reporter asked the sheriff whether the officers said anything to the man prior to shooting him dead.

“Only words that we said to him was drop the items — which means the gas can and the shotgun,” Bradshaw said. “He put the gas can down and pointed the shotgun at the officers.”

Watch above, via Fox News.

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