Austin Tucker Martin, 21, was holding a shotgun and a fuel can as he tried to enter Trump's Palm Beach residence near the north side around 1.30am on Sunday, the Secret Service said.

President Trump and First Lady Melania Trump were in Washington, DC, last night attending the Governors' Dinner.

Two Secret Service agents and one deputy from the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office ordered him to drop his weapons. 

'They confronted a white male that was carrying a gas can and a shotgun. He was ordered to drop those two pieces of equipment that he had with him,' Sheriff Ric Bradshaw said at a press conference Sunday morning.

The suspect, who investigators say is from North Carolina and traveled 700 miles by car to Florida, was reported missing by his family a few days ago. 

During the altercation, he put down the gas can but raised his gun into shooting position, prompting police to fire.

'At that point in time, the deputy and the two Secret Service agents fired their weapons and neutralized the threat. He is deceased at the scene,'  Bradshaw said.

No Secret Service agents or Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office deputies were injured.

'At this time, no law enforcement personnel were injured during the incident. We want to be clear, the President of the United States was not in the state of Florida,' said Rafael Barros, the Special Agent in Charge at the Secret Service Miami field office.

Bradshaw shared one image of the gas can and shotgun from the scene.

The deceased man's identity has not been publicly released pending notification of next of kin, however a source familiar with the matter identified him as Martin to the Associated Press.

Investigators believe Martin left North Carolina and headed south, picking up a shotgun along the way, Secret Service spokesman Anthony Guglielmi told the Associated Press.

The box for the gun was recovered in his vehicle, Guglielmi said. The man drove through the north gate of Mar-a-Lago as another vehicle was exiting and was confronted by Secret Service agents, Guglielmi said.

The FBI is leading the investigation into the case, and is asking neighbors to check their security cameras for any footage of suspicious activity.