FBI Director Patel’s Olympic Hockey Locker‑Room Celebration Deepens Scrutiny of His Government Jet Travel
As the FBI leads the probe into the fatal shooting of 21‑year‑old Austin Tucker Martin after he breached Mar‑a‑Lago’s inner perimeter carrying a shotgun and gas can and was shot by Secret Service agents and a Palm Beach deputy while no protectees were present and President Trump was in Washington, FBI Director Kash Patel was in Milan celebrating the U.S. men’s hockey team — entering the locker room, spraying beer and wearing a player’s gold medal. Patel and the FBI say the trip included professional meetings, but his locker‑room celebration and prior contested use of the FBI Gulfstream G550 have renewed congressional and public scrutiny of his travel and use of government resources.
📌 Key Facts
- Early Sunday morning an armed intruder carrying a shotgun and a gas can entered Mar‑a‑Lago’s secure/inner perimeter and was shot dead after, officials say, he set down the gas can and then raised the shotgun into a firing position; two Secret Service agents and a Palm Beach County sheriff’s deputy fired, and no protectees or officers were injured; President Trump was in Washington, D.C. at the time.
- The dead man was identified as 21‑year‑old Austin Tucker Martin of Cameron, North Carolina; his family had reported him missing days earlier, investigators say he likely drove from North Carolina to Florida, and a box for the shotgun was found in his vehicle; local authorities say they had no prior history with him.
- Federal and local agencies — including the FBI, Secret Service and the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office — held a coordinated briefing, described the event as an unauthorized/unlawful entry at Mar‑a‑Lago’s north gate/inner perimeter, and confirmed the FBI is leading the investigation.
- The FBI has asked nearby residents to review security footage and is compiling a psychological profile; FBI Director Kash Patel said the bureau will dedicate "all necessary resources" to the probe.
- The shooting’s timing intensified scrutiny because FBI Director Kash Patel was in Milan for the Winter Olympics celebrating with the U.S. men’s hockey team — entering the locker room, drinking and spraying beer, wearing a player’s gold medal and joining the team’s post‑game celebration — raising questions about optics and priorities.
- An FBI spokesman and Patel defended the Milan trip as being "primarily for professional purposes," noting work‑related meetings with European security officials; the White House and Patel pushed back publicly while critics, including Rep. Jason Crow, called the trip a taxpayer‑funded vacation.
- Patel’s appearance in Milan renewed broader scrutiny of his use of the FBI Gulfstream G550 for trips critics say lacked clear law‑enforcement purpose, including an October flight to State College, Pa., that coincided with his girlfriend’s pro‑wrestling appearance.
- The incident prompted partisan reactions from the administration praising the Secret Service and blaming political opponents, while opponents focused on Patel’s travel and conduct as grounds for criticism.
📰 Source Timeline (12)
Follow how coverage of this story developed over time
February 23, 2026
11:03 PM
Patel's appearance at U.S. men's hockey celebration renews scrutiny of FBI director's travels
New information:
- Confirms that after the U.S. men’s hockey team’s Olympic gold‑medal win in Milan, Kash Patel entered the locker room, drank and sprayed beer, wore a player’s gold medal and joined the team’s jumping celebration.
- Reports an FBI spokesman’s position that Patel’s Milan trip was 'primarily for professional purposes,' with Patel posting work‑related photos of meetings with European security officials.
- Details sharp criticism from Rep. Jason Crow, who called the trip an 'Italian vacation' funded by taxpayers, and Patel’s public defense that he was 'humbled' to celebrate with 'friends' on Team USA.
- Reiterates ongoing concern over Patel’s use of the FBI Gulfstream G550 for trips with no clear law‑enforcement purpose, including an October flight to State College, Pennsylvania, coinciding with his girlfriend’s performance at a pro‑wrestling event where they posed with a championship belt.
- Notes the White House communications director publicly backed Patel on social media, emphasizing his work meetings in Italy and deflecting criticism with 'don’t be mad because America won.'
4:11 PM
Officials probe killing at Mar-a-Lago as FBI's Patel parties with U.S. men's hockey team
New information:
- Frames the shooting explicitly as an ongoing official probe rather than a closed incident.
- Links the timing of the Mar-a-Lago killing to FBI Director Kash Patel’s attendance at the Winter Olympics in Italy with the U.S. men’s hockey team.
- Highlights that Patel was 'partying' or celebrating with the team while a high‑risk security incident unfolded back in the U.S., sharpening questions about optics and priorities.
12:44 PM
Family member of armed man who breached Mar-a-Lago perimeter describes personality, politics
New information:
- The suspect is identified by family as 21‑year‑old Austin Tucker Martin of North Carolina, described by his cousin as quiet, generous, and from an avidly pro‑Trump family.
- The cousin says Martin was 'afraid of guns,' 'wouldn’t even hurt an ant,' and never talked politics, and that all of them are 'big Trump supporters.'
- Moore County, N.C., officials say Martin’s family reported him missing around 1:38 a.m. Sunday; a neighbor recounts his mother being distraught and saying she had gotten a text from him saying, 'I'm okay, I love you.'
- Local sheriff’s office in North Carolina says it had no prior history with Martin before this incident, according to the piece.
February 22, 2026
9:35 PM
Armed Man Shot Dead at Mar-a-Lago by Trump’s Secret Service Was a 21-Year-Old From N.C.
New information:
- Names the intruder as Austin Tucker Martin, a 21-year-old from Cameron, North Carolina.
- Reports that Martin was a recent high school graduate who had started a small business making hand‑drawn golf course artwork.
- Cites family social‑media posts showing he was reported missing over the weekend and likely drove from North Carolina to Florida on Saturday.
5:24 PM
Bessent blames left's political 'venom' for violence after deadly Mar-a-Lago incident
New information:
- Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, in a Fox News 'Sunday Morning Futures' interview, blamed what he called political 'venom' from the left for normalizing violence after the Mar-a-Lago incident.
- Bessent referenced an Illinois Democratic Senate campaign ad featuring the chant 'F--- Trump, vote Juliana' and urged that the 'profane' video be taken down, linking such messaging to a culture of violence.
- He framed the current climate by saying, 'Two would-be assassins dead, one in jail for life,' and argued that 'they are normalizing this violence. It’s got to stop.'
- Bessent publicly praised Secret Service agent Sean Curran and the agency for protecting Trump and his family but declined to discuss any specific changes to the president’s security posture at Mar-a-Lago.
- Fox identified the suspect killed at Mar-a-Lago as 21-year-old Austin Tucker Martin of North Carolina via Sheriff Ric Bradshaw, consistent with prior reporting, and reiterated that Trump was in Washington, D.C., at the time and that no protectees or agents were injured.
4:46 PM
Secret Service says an armed man was shot and killed after entering Mar-a-Lago's secure perimeter
New information:
- Adds identification of the man as 21‑year‑old Austin Tucker Martin of North Carolina, per a person familiar with the investigation.
- Reports that he had been reported missing by his family days earlier and is believed to have picked up the shotgun en route south; a box for the weapon was found in his vehicle.
- Specifies that he drove into the secure perimeter as another vehicle was exiting near the north gate and that he carried both a shotgun and a gas can.
- Quotes Sheriff Ric Bradshaw describing commands to drop the items, that the man put down the gas can but raised the shotgun to a firing position, prompting two Secret Service agents and a Palm Beach County sheriff’s deputy to fire.
- Notes that the FBI has asked nearby residents to review security footage, that investigators are compiling a psychological profile and have not yet found prior law‑enforcement contacts, and that FBI Director Kash Patel said the bureau will dedicate 'all necessary resources' to the probe.
- Includes a political statement from White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt praising Secret Service and blaming Democratic lawmakers and the DHS shutdown in a social media post.
3:21 PM
Armed man is shot and killed at Mar-a-Lago, Palm Beach Sheriff says
New information:
- Confirms that the intruder reached what Sheriff Ric Bradshaw called the 'inner perimeter' of Mar‑a‑Lago before being stopped.
- Provides detailed sequence: the man carrying a gas can and shotgun was ordered to drop them, set down the gas can, then raised the shotgun into a shooting position before agents and a deputy opened fire.
- Quotes a White House statement by Karoline Leavitt calling the intruder a 'crazy person' and using the incident to attack Democrats over the DHS shutdown.
- Reiterates that Trump was in Washington and that no protectees were present at Mar‑a‑Lago at the time.
- Confirms the FBI is leading the investigation and that no agents or officers were injured.
3:01 PM
Authorities provide update after man is shot and killed at Mar-a-Lago
New information:
- CBS notes the shooting followed an 'unlawful entry on the property,' reinforcing that agents viewed it as an unauthorized breach rather than activity only outside the perimeter.
- Confirms via the joint news conference that President Trump was not in Florida at the time, consistent with earlier reporting but now reiterated on-camera by officials.
- Adds that the FBI, Secret Service and Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office held a coordinated press briefing, underscoring the level of federal and local engagement.
2:34 PM
Secret Service fatally shot a man at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago residence overnight
New information:
- Confirms the shooting occurred early Sunday morning and that Trump was at the White House overnight.
- Clarifies the suspect is described only as a male in his early 20s, with no name yet released.
- States explicitly that both Secret Service agents and a Palm Beach County Sheriff’s deputy fired, according to the Secret Service.
2:29 PM
Armed man shot and killed by law enforcement outside Mar-a-Lago
New information:
- Secret Service statement says the man was spotted by Mar-a-Lago’s north gate carrying what appeared to be a shotgun and a fuel can.
- Axios specifies that no Secret Service or Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office personnel were injured in the incident.
- The article reiterates that there were no protectees present and notes Trump was in Washington on Sunday.
2:08 PM
Man shot, killed at Mar-a-Lago perimeter, Secret Service says
New information:
- CBS confirms the Secret Service’s initial characterization that the incident involved an 'unauthorized entry' into the secure perimeter at Mar-a-Lago.
- The article specifies that the man killed was in his early 20s.
- CBS states that President Trump remained in Washington, D.C., this weekend and was not at Mar-a-Lago when the shooting occurred.