Victim's Text Messages Revealed After Man Passes Away Outside Mar-a-Lago

He sent a message about "evil" before everything spiraled. A week later, he was gone, shot outside one of the most heavily guarded properties in America.

A text exchange by Austin Tucker Martin, the 21-year-old killed by Secret Service agents after supposedly breaching the perimeter at Mar-a-Lago on February 22, 2026, has surfaced, and it has shed new light on this troubling situation.

According to his words and testimony from those who knew him, he had become obsessed with recently declassified information.

The Message That Set Off Alarms

On February 15, just days before the tragedy, Martin wrote to a coworker. In a text message obtained by TMZ, he said, "I don't know if you read up on the Epstein Files, but evil is real and unmistakable."

He didn't stop there, adding:

"The best people like you and I can do is use what little influence we have. Tell other people about what you hear about the Epstein files and what the government is doing about it. Raise awareness."

Additionally, employees at North Carolina’s Pine Needles Lodge & Golf Club confirmed to the outlet that Martin developed an obsession with the recently disclosed data from the files.

According to them, Martin felt deeply unsettled by what he viewed as a federal concealment and often expressed his frustration regarding influential figures escaping accountability for their actions.

That growing fixation seemed to intensify in the weeks before he traveled to Florida.

A Deadly Encounter

Early Sunday morning, Martin allegedly breached the secure perimeter near the north gate of Mar-a-Lago. Authorities stated that they found him with a firearm and a container of fuel.

Secret Service agents shot and killed him at the scene. The investigation remains ongoing, and authorities have not released additional details about his movements before the incident.

What makes the situation even more complex is the political backdrop surrounding it.

A Supporter With Strong Beliefs

Surprisingly, those who worked alongside Martin also noted his vocal commitment to his Christian beliefs and his public endorsement of President Donald Trump. As recently as late last year, he expressed to his peers his conviction that Trump possessed great leadership qualities.

At the same time, state voting records show Martin was registered as unaffiliated. Friends from high school told The New York Times that while he sometimes expressed traditional conservative views, he was not known for picking fights over politics.

Clarice Bonillo, 21, who served as his officer in Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps, described him this way:

"He is from a very pro-Trump family and fit into that narrative. But he wouldn't go out of his way to bash anybody from the left side or start arguments or anything like that. He had his opinion, and he mostly kept it to himself."

That restraint is part of what has left former classmates stunned.

The Small-Town Artist

Before his name was splashed across national headlines, Martin was a recent graduate of Union Pines High School in Cameron, North Carolina. He finished in 2023, according to a social media post from his mother.

In June 2025, he registered a business called "Fresh Sky Illustrations." The business specialized in hand-crafted illustrations of golf courses. They aimed to capture the optimistic atmosphere of the fairway through their custom artwork, which they distributed via gift shops and private commissions.

Friends said he had real talent. Outside of work, he spent time sketching local scenery and people around town, hoping to turn art into a career.

But he did have one particular issue.

His Big Frustration

People who knew Martin admitted that he felt stressed about his finances and the economy. He often argued that high costs forced young people to work two jobs or find roommates just to move out. Meanwhile, he still lived at home with his parents.

At one point, he attempted to form a labor union at Pine Needles Lodge & Golf Club to advocate for better pay, but he failed to gain any support from his colleagues.

That pressure seemed to weigh on him more than many realized.

Dreams That Didn't Work Out

In high school, Martin had bigger plans than being an artist. According to his friend Dustin Rollins, he dreamed of joining the U.S. Air Force to combine his interests in planes, engineering, and mechanics.

He joined Junior R.O.T.C. to improve his chances. Later, he was turned away from the Air Force, a disappointment that friends said hit him hard.

Rollins recalled him as one of the most gentle individuals he had ever known.

And yet, life kept handing him setbacks and heartbreak.

In 2023, his sister Caitlin Renea Martin died in a car accident at age 21. Friends said Martin was devastated and became more reclusive afterward.

Bonillo recalled that he sometimes struggled with depression and anxiety in high school. Still, many people in his circle would try to lift his spirits when he seemed low.

When news broke about what happened at Mar-a-Lago, Bonillo was stunned. "It seems like a very out-of-character thing for him to do," she said.

Rollins echoed that disbelief. "None of us believe he was a terrible kid. We all love him," he added.

What Happened at Mar-A-Lago?

As previously reported, officials say Martin drove into the gates of Mar-a-Lago as another vehicle was exiting. He then entered the inner perimeter of the property carrying a shotgun and a gas can.

Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw said during a press conference that the deceased was "ordered to drop those two pieces of equipment that he had with them."

"At which time he put down the gas can, raised the shotgun to a shooting position." That's when officers "neutralized the threat." Two Secret Service agents and one sheriff’s deputy confronted him during the encounter.

According to the New York Post, Martin had been reported missing by his family on Saturday, just hours before the dramatic confrontation unfolded.

By Sunday at around 1:30 a.m., he was dead following the tense encounter with Secret Service agents and Palm Beach County deputies.

Investigation and Political Reaction

A box for the shotgun was later discovered inside Austin's vehicle. Investigators are still probing whether he purchased the weapon while traveling to Florida.

Authorities have urged residents in South Florida to check their security cameras for possible footage showing Austin before the shooting. Officials have not confirmed whether he was previously known to law enforcement.

President Trump was not at Mar-a-Lago during the incident. He was in Washington, D.C., hosting the Governors' Dinner at the White House alongside First Lady Melania Trump.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt reportedly praised the Secret Service’s response in a post on X. "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," she wrote.

She also reportedly criticized Democrats over a partial government shutdown affecting Homeland Security since February 14, calling their actions "shameful and reckless."

FBI Director Kash Patel reportedly said on X that the bureau would be "dedicating all necessary resources" to the investigation.

A Pattern of Security Scares

The Mar-a-Lago incident comes amid heightened security concerns. Just five days earlier, a Georgia man armed with a shotgun was arrested outside the U.S. Capitol as he sprinted toward the building’s west side.

And the Florida property itself has been the site of previous threats. During the 2024 election, Ryan Routh attempted to assassinate President Trump while he was golfing at his West Palm Beach club. Ryan was spotted aiming a rifle through shrubbery before Trump came into view and was later sentenced to life in prison.

That same year, Thomas Crooks fired eight shots during a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, grazing the president’s ear and killing an attendee before being taken out by a Secret Service counter-sniper.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent weighed in on the latest Mar-a-Lago scare during an appearance on Fox News' "Sunday Morning Futures" show. "This venom coming from the other side," he said. "We don't know whether this person was a mastermind, unhinged, or what, but they are normalizing this violence. It's got to stop."