An armed man who was shot dead by the Secret Service after entering President Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate on Sunday was reportedly obsessed with the Jeffrey Epstein files and urged others to “raise awareness” days before the incident.Authorities said Austin Tucker Martin, 21, was shot and killed by local Florida police and Secret Service members after brandishing a rifle at a “shooting scene” on Trump’s property, the New York Post reported.
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Martin was reported missing by his family after he disappeared on Saturday. His mother, Melissa Martin, made a missing person poster for him and described the silver Volkswagen he was likely driving.TMZ obtained text messages Martin exchanged with his co-worker in February.
He was released on October 15, one week before embarking on a one-way flight to Florida. In the letters, Martin shared, apparently spontaneously, his views on the Epstein files.“I don’t know if you’ve read about the Epstein files, but the evil is real and unmistakable,” he wrote.“The best thing you and I can do is use what little influence we have. Tell others about what you hear about the Epstein files and what the government is doing about it.
He added: “Raising awareness.”The co-worker did not respond. On Sunday morning, before Martin’s death was announced, a co-worker texted: “Hi! Where are you?”The messages were sent via a secure “RCS chat,” according to the report. Sources told the outlet that Martin was working at Pine Needles Lodge & Golf Club in North Carolina, about 15 miles from his hometown of Cameron, where he still lives with his parents.Other colleagues told the outlet that Martin was deeply disturbed by what he believed was a coordinated government campaign to cover up the Epstein files so elites could continue to “get away with it.”
They also said he expressed frustration about the economy and how difficult it is for young people to cope with living on their own. The newspaper reported that he tried to organize a union at the country club to increase wages, but no one supported the move.Sources also said Martin was an outspoken Trump supporter, TMZ reported.Martin’s cousin, 19-year-old Brayden Fields, told The Associated Press that the majority of his family supports Trump.
He said any apparent act of violence from his “quiet” cousin was completely out of character.“He wouldn’t even hurt an ant. He doesn’t even know how to use a gun,” Fields said.The authorities did not reveal the motive behind the potential attack that was thwarted. Trump and First Lady Melania Trump were in the White House at the time.The investigation is ongoing. Authorities urged nearby residents in South Florida to check their security cameras for any footage that might show Martin.
