The man who was shot to death by law enforcement officers after breaching the secure perimeter of President Trump's Mar-a-Lago home on Sunday had been missing, a woman who identified herself as his mother had posted on Facebook. The Sunday morning post by Melissa Martin said her son had not been heard from since 7:51pm Saturday, the New York Times reports. Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric L. Bradshaw identified him as Austin Tucker Martin, 21, of Cameron, North Carolina. A woman who said she was Martin's aunt posted that he'd left home at 1pm Saturday. "This is not like him at all," said the post from Chrissie Fields, which later was taken down. She said local police were investigating and were in contact with the FBI.
The Moore County Sheriff's Office in North Carolina said that it opened a missing person case early Sunday and that it's now turned its findings over to federal investigators. No one else was injured in the confrontation involving Secret Service agents and a Palm Beach County sheriff's deputy. Bradshaw did not say which officers fired at the man he said raised a shotgun at the officers, per the Washington Post. "There's a lot more investigation to be done," Bradshaw said. "Fortunately, nobody was in jeopardy inside because of the quick action that was taken by the deputies and the Secret Service." Trump, who was in Washington at the time, has not yet publicly commented on the case.
Martin registered a business last summer called Fresh Sky Illustrations, per the Times. Its website says the company intended to bring "to life the hopeful feeling of being on a golf course," focusing on artwork for gift shops and commissions. In Cameron, friends and relatives of Martin said he came from a family of Trump supporters and was afraid of guns, per the AP. Braeden Fields, a cousin, said Martin worked at a nearby golf course and sent money from every paycheck to charity. "He wouldn't even hurt an ant," Fields said. "He doesn't even know how to use a gun."