It has been revealed that a gunman who was shot dead on President Donald Trump’s property had shared bizarre text messages just days before his death.
21-year-old Austin Tucker Martin was shot dead by police and members of the Secret Service after he appeared at the president’s residence with a shotgun, according to authorities.
The man reportedly appeared in a ‘shooting position’ at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida, yesterday (February 22).
Martin reportedly sent messages to a co-worker just days prior where he shared his thoughts on the Epstein files.
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In the messages, which were obtained by TMZ, Martin said: “I don’t know if you read up on the Epstein Files, but evil is real and unmistakable.”
He went on to say: “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.”
The co-worker did not respond to these messages but on the morning of his death, before it was announced, the co-worker wrote back: “Hey! Where are you?”
Speaking about the incident at a press conference, Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric 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, raised the shotgun to a shooting position.”
Two agents and a deputy reportedly ‘fired their weapons to neutralize the threat’.
Reacting to the news, Martin’s cousin Braeden Fields spoke to the Associated Press where he shared: “He’s a good kid. I wouldn’t believe he would do something like this. It’s mind blowing.”
He continued: “He wouldn’t even hurt an ant. He doesn’t even know how to use a gun.”
Fields went on to describe how his cousin didn’t talk about politics, adding: “We are big Trump supporters, all of us. Everybody.”
It has been confirmed that during the incident, both President Trump and First Lady Melania Trump were at the White House in Washington DC.
Trump has made his first remarks since the incident, speaking to press at an Angel Families event at the White House to say: “You read about all these crazy shooters, but they only go after consequential presidents. They don’t go after non-consequential presidents.”
Referencing Abraham Lincoln and John F. Kennedy, he added: “They were consequential. They only go after consequential. So maybe I want to be a little bit less consequential.
“I don’t know how long I’ll be around. Got a lot of people gunning for me.”