Secret Service Exchanges Gunfire With Armed Suspect Near White House, Juvenile Injured

A U.S. Secret Service exchange of gunfire with an armed suspect near the White House in Washington, D.C., left the suspect wounded and a juvenile bystander injured on Monday afternoon.

“Secret Service officers exchange gunfire with armed suspect near White House, juvenile bystander injured: USSS Officers returned fire, striking the suspect, the Secret Service said”

ABC News

Secret Service Deputy Director Matt Quinn said the shooting occurred around 3:30 p.m. Monday near the National Mall, outside the perimeter of the White House complex, after plainclothes officers observed “a suspicious individual that appeared to have a firearm.”

ABC News

Quinn said uniformed Secret Service police briefly followed the suspect, and “upon making contact, he fled on foot and fired in the direction of the officers,” prompting officers to return fire and strike the suspect.

The Secret Service said the suspect was transported to a hospital, while Quinn said at least one bystander, “a male juvenile,” was believed to have been shot by the suspect and sustained non-life-threatening injuries.

CNN reported that no Secret Service employees were injured and that the juvenile bystander suffered a “graze wound,” citing a spokesperson for DC Police.

The incident also triggered a brief evacuation of the White House North Lawn, with the White House press corps directed into the briefing room before being allowed back outside about five minutes later.

Reuters and other outlets placed the location at 15th Street and Independence Avenue near the Washington Monument, with the Secret Service saying the bystander was a minor and the suspect was hit in the torso.

The Secret Service said the incident did not put President Donald Trump in danger and that there was “no known nexus between the incident and the White House.”

Multiple outlets described a sequence that began with surveillance detection and ended with the suspect being shot after firing toward Secret Service agents.

ABC News said a plainclothes Secret Service officer observed “a suspicious individual that appeared to have a firearm,” and that uniformed Secret Service police made contact, after which the suspect fled on foot and fired toward the officers.

Al Jazeera

CNN similarly said the officers noticed “a suspicious individual that appeared to have a firearm” and that the man ran when uniformed Secret Service police approached him and fired toward the officers, after which the officers returned fire and struck him.

NBC News identified the suspect as 45-year-old Michael Marx, saying he holds a Texas driver’s license and remained hospitalized Tuesday with multiple gunshot wounds, including to his back and leg, with injuries “not considered life threatening.”

NBC News also said investigators were seeking to review the suspect’s digital footprint and that phone and search warrants were expected to be executed at his home and elsewhere.

Fox News Digital reported that the confrontation began after trained surveillance personnel spotted a “visual print” of a weapon, with Quinn saying, “My understanding is they observed a print.”

Fox News also said the suspect withdrew a firearm and fired in the direction of agents and officers, and that the Secret Service said on X that one individual was shot by law enforcement.

NBC4 Washington added that witnesses reported hearing at least five gunshots shortly after Vice President JD Vance’s motorcade passed through the heavily trafficked area, and it said the plainclothes agents spotted the man at about 3:30 p.m.

Investigators and senior Secret Service officials said the motive remained under investigation and that it was unclear whether the suspect intended to target President Donald Trump.

ABC News reported that Quinn said, “Whether or not it was directed to the president or not, I don't know, but we will find out,” and it said the shooting came over a week after an alleged assassination attempt on President Donald Trump at the White House Correspondents' Dinner.

CNN quoted Quinn as saying, “President Trump was not in any danger, and there currently is no known nexus between the incident and the White House,” and it said the Secret Service briefly evacuated the White House press corps from the North Lawn.

Fox News Digital said Quinn confirmed Vice President JD Vance’s motorcade had driven by the area not long before the shooting but that it was unrelated, and it quoted Quinn: “I can’t say—I’m not going to guess on that.”

NBC News reported that it was not clear whether the incident had any connection to President Donald Trump or the White House in general and that Quinn said the gunman did not attack the vice president's motorcade and that there was no indication that approaching it was his intent.

The Guardian said Quinn told reporters it was unclear if Vance was a target and that the Secret Service encouraged people to avoid the area as emergency crews responded.

Politico framed the incident as occurring amid increased concerns about political violence about a week after a gunman attempted to breach the security perimeter at the annual White House Correspondents’ Dinner in an alleged effort to assassinate President Donald Trump.

Al Jazeera said the incident came after an alleged assassination attempt on United States President Donald Trump at the White House correspondents’ dinner last month and reported that Quinn said investigators would “find out” whether the gunman was targeting Trump.

The shooting produced injuries to both the suspect and a juvenile bystander, while Secret Service said no agents were hurt and authorities said the bystander’s injuries were not life-threatening.

ABC News said the suspect and a juvenile bystander were struck during the exchange of gunfire, and it reported that at least one bystander, “a male juvenile,” was believed to have been shot by the suspect and sustained non-life-threatening injuries.

Antena 3

CNN reported that the juvenile bystander was transported with non-life threatening injuries and that a DC Police spokesperson said the juvenile suffered a “graze wound.”

NBC News said the bystander was a minor and that Quinn could not say definitively whether the bystander had been definitively hit by any gunfire from the gunman, but Quinn said, “everything I've seen leads me to believe, and the investigators believe, he was struck by the suspect.”

NBC News later said the bystander was a male teenager who was believed to be a tourist and that the bystander suffered a superficial wound described as a grazing injury from the ricochet of a bullet, according to two sources.

NBC4 Washington said a 15-year-old bystander was hit by gunfire but not seriously injured, and it described the young victim’s possible graze wound to his lower body, noting he walked to an ambulance where he was treated by paramedics.

On the suspect side, CNN said the suspect was a 45-year-old White man with past residency in both Maryland and Texas and that he was shot in the torso and listed in stable condition, while NBC News said the suspect was Michael Marx and that he had multiple gunshot wounds including to his back and leg.

Multiple outlets said investigators were reviewing the suspect’s digital footprint and expected to execute search warrants, and NBC News said Jeanine Pirro said, “This remains an active investigation. We will provide more information when it becomes appropriate to do so.”

While all outlets described a Secret Service gunfight near the White House and the Washington Monument, they differed in emphasis, including how they characterized the suspect, the bystander, and the surrounding security context.

ABC News and CNN both centered Matt Quinn’s account of a “suspicious individual that appeared to have a firearm,” but CNN added that the suspect was believed to be a 45-year-old White man with past residency in both Maryland and Texas and said he was shot in the torso and listed in stable condition.

BFM

Fox News Digital focused on the Secret Service’s surveillance detection, quoting Quinn about a “visual print” of a weapon and describing the suspect’s actions as he “withdrew a firearm and fired in the direction of our agents and officers.”

NBC News provided the most specific suspect identity, naming 45-year-old Michael Marx and reporting that he holds a Texas driver’s license and was expected to be charged with several offenses as early as Tuesday, while NBC4 Washington described the bystander as a 15-year-old and said witnesses heard at least five gunshots after Vice President JD Vance’s motorcade passed.

The Guardian and Washington Post both described the incident as briefly locking down or affecting the White House area, with The Guardian saying the White House was briefly locked down and that journalists were ushered into the briefing room, while the Washington Post said the White House was briefly locked down after an officer exchanged gunfire with an armed individual nearby.

Politico framed the event in a broader pattern of political violence, writing that Monday’s episode came amid increased concerns about political violence about a week after a gunman attempted to breach the security perimeter at the annual White House Correspondents’ Dinner.

Al Jazeera emphasized the connection to a prior alleged assassination attempt, stating the incident came after an alleged assassination attempt on President Donald Trump at the White House correspondents’ dinner last month and reporting that Quinn said the Secret Service would “find out” whether the gunman was targeting Trump.

Even within the same core facts, outlets diverged on what they could say about intent, with Quinn telling ABC News, “Whether or not it was directed to the president or not, I don't know, but we will find out,” while NBC News reported that it was not clear whether the incident had any connection to President Donald Trump or the White House in general.