Suspected Gunman Was 'Very Quiet' and From Family of 'Big Trump Supporters,' Cousin Says
The New York Times reported that Austin Tucker Martin graduated from Union Pines High School in Cameron, North Carolina, in 2023 and launched an artwork company last June specializing in handmade drawings of golf courses.
According to its website, Fresh Sky Illustrations:
"Is an artwork company that mainly focuses on bringing to life the hopeful feeling of being on a golf course by illustrating golf course scenes and providing framed copies of handmade works in various golf course gift shops while handling personal commissions on the side.
Combining the aesthetics of the sunny outdoors, and old digital aesthetics from the mid 2000s, Fresh Sky Illustrations hopes to awaken a sense of hope and comfort with this handcrafted webpage design."
Martin, who lived in a part of North Carolina renowned for its golf courses, was a registered voter, although state voting records indicate he was not affiliated with a particular party.
The 21-year-old was described by his cousin Braeden Fields as "very quiet" and inexperienced with firearms.
"He doesn’t even know how to use a gun. He’s never used a gun," Fields said hours after Martin had been killed.
Fields added that the family are "big Trump supporters" and that Martin has an older brother in the military.
"Martin never really talked about … he didn’t want to get into politics," Fields said, adding that Martin worked at a golf course preparing it for the season and liked to send his paychecks to charity.
"We grew up together, practically," Fields said. "I never, I wouldn’t believe that he would do something like this. Mind-blowing."
US Government Issues Travel Warnings for Citizens in Mexico Amid Widespread Violence
The Mexican government recently killed a cartel boss known as "El Mencho," sparking a wave of retaliatory violence in western Mexico and stranding travelers on Sunday.
The US government urged US citizens in widespread areas of Mexico to shelter in place, stating that US government staff in those areas were also sheltering and would continue to do so on Monday.
A travel alert from the US embassy in Mexico noted that no airports had been closed, but roadblocks had affected airline operations, with most flights out of Guadalajara and Puerto Vallarta canceled, and rideshares suspended in Puerto Vallarta.
The alert advised people to "seek shelter" and "minimize unnecessary movements."
"Americans should keep family and friends advised of your location & well-being," the travel alert said.
US Government Supports Mexican Operation Against Cartel Leader 'El Mencho'
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt stated that the US had "provided intelligence support" to the Mexican government in the operation against Nemesio ‘El Mencho’ Oseguera Cervantes, whom she described as "an infamous drug lord and leader within the Jalisco New Generation Cartel" and confirmed was "eliminated."
Leavitt noted that "El Mencho" was considered a "top target" for both the US and Mexican governments due to his role as a major trafficker of fentanyl into the US. She added that the Jalisco New Generation Cartel had been designated as a foreign terrorist organization by the Trump administration last year.
In addition to "El Mencho," three other cartel members were killed, three wounded, and two arrested, Leavitt said.
"President Trump has been very clear – the United States will ensure narcoterrorists sending deadly drugs to our homeland are forced to face the wrath of justice they have long deserved," she said.
Major US Universities Respond to Epstein Files Release
Several US institutions of higher education are addressing the recent release of the Epstein files, which revealed Jeffrey Epstein’s connections with board members, professors, and administrators across campuses nationwide.
Actions taken include faculty reviews, research center closures, and conference cancellations. Students and staff have engaged through petitions, open letters, and campus forums.
interviewed students, employees, and alumni from some implicated universities.
On 9 February, Barnard College faculty published an open letter signed by over 70 members calling on the university to "acknowledge and investigate" correspondence between Epstein and Francine LeFrak, a prominent donor and board member. LeFrak appears 15 times in the Epstein files, according to the Barnard Bulletin.
In one instance, LeFrak requested in 2010 to join a close friend and Epstein during "the holidays"; in another, later that year, she invited Epstein "as her guest" on a trip to Rwanda, where she founded an initiative providing occupational training and employment for female genocide survivors.
The letter described the connection as "repugnant," especially since the interactions occurred after Epstein’s 2008 conviction for soliciting prostitution from a minor.
Trump Criticizes Supreme Court Ruling on Tariffs
President Donald Trump launched a new attack on the US Supreme Court following its decision to strike down his tariffs.
Writing on Truth Social, he claimed the court had "accidentally and unwittingly" granted him "far more powers and strength" as a result of its ruling.
Trump stated that other tariffs could now be used in a "much more powerful and obnoxious way."
"The supreme court (will be using lower case letters for a while based on a complete lack of respect!) of the United States accidentally and unwittingly gave me, as President of the United States, far more powers and strength than I had prior to their ridiculous, dumb, and very internationally divisive ruling.
For one thing, I can use Licenses to do absolutely “terrible” things to foreign countries, especially those countries that have been RIPPING US OFF for many decades, but incomprehensibly, according to the ruling, can’t charge them a License fee - BUT ALL LICENSES CHARGE FEES, why can’t the United States do so? You do a license to get a fee! The opinion doesn’t explain that, but I know the answer! The court has also approved all other Tariffs, of which there are many, and they can all be used in a much more powerful and obnoxious way, with legal certainty, than the Tariffs as initially used.
Our incompetent supreme court did a great job for the wrong people, and for that they should be ashamed of themselves (but not the Great Three!). The next thing you know they will rule in favor of China and others, who are making an absolute fortune on Birthright Citizenship, by saying the 14th Amendment was NOT written to take care of the “babies of slaves,” which it was as proven by the EXACT TIMING of its construction, filing, and ratification, which perfectly coincided with the END OF THE CIVIL WAR. How much better can you do than that?
But this supreme court will find a way to come to the wrong conclusion, one that again will make China, and various other Nations, happy and rich. Let our supreme court keep making decisions that are so bad and deleterious to the future of our Nation - I have a job to do."
The Trump administration announced it would stop collecting tariffs the Supreme Court ruled illegal because they were imposed using emergency powers, as investors reacted to the president’s new replacement levies.
The US dollar fell 0.4% against a basket of currencies on Monday after US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) said it would deactivate all tariff codes related to International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) orders as of Tuesday midnight (5am UK time).
Gold rose 0.6% to $5,135 an ounce, its highest since late January, as investors sought safe havens, while bitcoin dropped as much as 4.8% to $64,300 before recovering to $65,734. Futures tracking the US S&P 500 slipped 0.5% Monday morning.
The Supreme Court ruled last week that Trump had exceeded his authority imposing "liberation day" measures last year, creating uncertainty over US trade policy.
Trump responded with a new flat-rate global tariff of 15% under separate legal authority to replace the struck-down tariffs. These new levies will begin Tuesday and could last up to 150 days.
The European Union is expected to freeze the ratification of its trade deal with the US and is seeking details from the Trump administration on the new tariff program, Bloomberg News reported.
Zeljana Zovko, lead trade negotiator for the European People’s Party group on the US deal, told Bloomberg the EU has "no other option" but to delay approval to clarify the situation.
The center-right EPP group is the largest bloc in the European Parliament.
White House Responds to Mar-a-Lago Incident
Donald Trump has not yet commented on the incident. However, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said on Sunday:
"In the middle of the night while most Americans were asleep, the United States Secret Service acted quickly and decisively to neutralize a crazy person, armed with a gun and a gas canister, who intruded President Trump’s home.
Federal law enforcement are working 24/7 to keep our country safe and protect all Americans. It’s shameful and reckless that Democrats have chosen to shut down their Department."
Investigators believe the suspect left North Carolina and traveled south, acquiring a shotgun along the way, according to Secret Service spokesperson Anthony Guglielmi.
The box for the gun was recovered in his vehicle, Guglielmi said. The man drove through the north gate of Mar-a-Lago as another vehicle was exiting and was confronted by Secret Service agents before being fatally shot.
Sunday’s incident bears similarities to a 2023 event when a Chinese woman carrying multiple cellphones and a computer thumb drive containing malware gained access to Mar-a-Lago’s main lobby after evading security.
That was one of several incidents during Trump’s first term that raised concerns about security at the club, which he often referred to as his "winter White House."
In July 2024, Trump was speaking at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, when a bullet struck the venue and some spectators were killed.
On 15 September 2024, a man was captured near Trump’s golf course in West Palm Beach after pointing a weapon through a perimeter fence while the president played golf. He was sentenced to life in prison earlier this month.
Last Wednesday, police in Washington arrested a man from Georgia armed with a loaded shotgun who ran towards the west side of the US Capitol building.
Investigators continue compiling a psychological profile and seeking to establish a motive. When asked if the suspect was previously known to law enforcement, Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw said, "not right now."
Martin's Family Reported Him Missing on Sunday Morning - Sheriff's Office
The Moore County Sheriff’s Department in North Carolina stated that a relative reported Martin missing early Sunday morning.
In a statement, the Moore County Sheriff’s Office wrote:
"The Moore County Sheriff’s Office confirms that on February 22, 2026, at approximately 1:38 a.m., a relative of 21-year-old Austin Tucker Martin approached a deputy at a local business and reported him missing. He was subsequently entered into a national missing person database.
Following that report, federal authorities informed the Sheriff’s Office that they are conducting an active investigation in Florida involving Martin. At their request, the missing person case information has been turned over to federal investigators.
The Moore County Sheriff’s Office had no prior history involving Martin before the missing person report."
Suspected Gunman Identified After Being Shot Dead Inside Mar-a-Lago Perimeter
Good morning and welcome to our live coverage of the Mar-a-Lago security breach.
The armed man killed by US Secret Service agents after allegedly breaching the secure perimeter of Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida has been identified in media reports as Austin Tucker Martin, a 21-year-old illustrator from Cameron, North Carolina.
Although the US president often spends weekends at the oceanfront resort, he was at the White House in Washington during this incident, as was First Lady Melania Trump.
At a press conference on Sunday morning, Ric Bradshaw, sheriff of Palm Beach County, said the suspect was carrying a gas canister and a shotgun.
Bradshaw later confirmed Martin’s identity after initially withholding it until officials could notify his family.
Martin’s family in North Carolina had reported him missing in the early hours of Sunday morning, according to the Moore County Sheriff’s Office.
As reported by my colleague, Bradshaw told reporters that two Secret Service agents and one of his deputies went to the north gate of the property at about 1:30 a.m. ET (06:30 GMT) after a security detail alerted them that a person was within an inner perimeter.
There, they confronted a white male carrying a shotgun and a gasoline can, Bradshaw said.
"He was ordered to drop those two pieces of equipment that he had with him, at which time he put down the gas can (and) raised the shotgun to a shooting position," the sheriff said.
"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."
A motive has not been determined by investigators, who are being led by the FBI. The security breach follows two assassination attempts against Trump during his 2024 presidential campaign.
