U.S. Secret Service Shoots Armed Suspect Near White House, Brief Lockdown Follows

An armed suspect was shot by U.S. Secret Service agents near the White House in Washington, D.C., triggering a brief lockdown after the man opened fire, according to multiple reports.

France 24 with AFP said the incident unfolded shortly after Vice President JD Vance’s motorcade passed by the area, and that US Secret Service (USSS) agents shot and wounded the suspect near the White House on Monday.

ABC News

NBC4 Washington reported the shooting happened at 15th Street SW and Independence Avenue, near the Washington Monument, and said the Secret Service described an exchange of gunfire in which “One person was shot by an uniformed officer and a young bystander was injured.”

PBS (AP) said plainclothes agents spotted the man around 3:30 p.m. in the area near the White House complex and saw the imprint of the weapon on him, before the man attempted to flee and opened fire.

Politico said the incident occurred in the late afternoon near the National Mall and the Washington Monument, and that plainclothes officers determined that a person had a gun and called for backup.

WTOP likewise placed the location at 15th Street and Independence Avenue in D.C., and said a child was struck by a bullet during the exchange.

Across the accounts, the Secret Service said the suspect was taken to a hospital, while the White House was briefly locked down and journalists were ushered into the briefing room as the incident was investigated.

The reports describe a sequence in which Secret Service plainclothes officers identified a suspicious individual with a firearm impression, called in uniformed officers, and then an exchange of gunfire followed.

NBC4 Washington said that about 3:30 p.m., “plainclothes officers and agents who patrol the outer perimeter of the White House complex saw someone near the grounds who appeared to have a firearm,” and that they called uniformed officers who responded and approached the man.

Anadolu Ajansı

PBS (AP) similarly said Secret Service Deputy Director Matt Quinn told reporters that plainclothes agents spotted the man around 3:30 p.m. and saw the imprint of the weapon on him, then followed him briefly and contacted uniformed officers.

The Guardian reported that when the individual saw uniformed agents, Quinn said he fled on foot, drew his gun and fired, and that “They returned fire and engaged,” before the suspect was transported to the hospital.

WTOP quoted Quinn describing the moment of contact: “Upon making contact, that individual fled briefly on foot, withdrew a firearm and fired in the direction of our agents and officers, they returned fire and engaged,” and said the man was hospitalized after being shot.

SMH.au said agents observed a “visual print of a firearm” when the person was spotted, and that the figure briefly fled on foot after being approached by Secret Service officers and opened fire on them in “15th Street SW and Independence Avenue SW.”

DW reported that a statement on social media said, “US Secret Service personnel are on the scene of an officer-involved shooting at 15th Street and Independence Avenue in Washington, D.C.,” and that “One individual was shot by law enforcement.”

A key detail across the reports is that a juvenile bystander was injured during the gunfire, while the suspect’s condition was not immediately known.

“en EnglishUnited States Deutsch English Español Français Italiano العربية All languages Afrikaans azərbaycan bosanski català Čeština Cymraeg Dansk Deutsch eesti EnglishUnited Kingdom EspañolEspaña EspañolLatinoamérica euskara Filipino FrançaisCanada FrançaisFrance Gaeilge galego Hrvatski Indonesia isiZulu íslenska Italiano Kiswahili latviešu lietuvių magyar Melayu Nederlands norsk o‘zbek polski PortuguêsBrasil PortuguêsPortugal română shqip Slovenčina slovenščina srpski (latinica) Suomi Svenska Tiếng Việt Türkçe Ελληνικά беларуская български кыргызча қазақ тілі македонски монгол Русский српски Українська ქართული հայերեն עברית اردو العربية فارسی አማርኛ नेपाली मराठी हिन्दी অসমীয়া বাংলা ਪੰਜਾਬੀ ગુજરાતી ଓଡ଼ିଆ தமிழ் తెలుగు ಕನ್ನಡ മലയാളം සිංහල ไทย ລາວ မြန်မာ ខ្មែរ 한국어 日本語 简体中文 繁體中文 繁體中文香港 Sign in Sign in”

cbs19.tv

NBC4 Washington said Quinn declined to comment on the suspect’s condition, and said he believes the suspect's gunfire struck the young bystander who was hurt, adding, “I can't say, and we'll let the doctors figure that out, but everything I've seen leads me to believe, and the investigators believe, he was struck by the suspect.”

PBS (AP) likewise said Quinn could not say definitively that the bystander was struck by shots from the suspect’s gun, but noted that “investigators believe he was struck by the suspect.”

WTOP said a child was also struck by a bullet during the exchange, and that Quinn said investigators believe the child was shot by the armed man, not law enforcement, while also stating the child’s injuries were not considered life threatening.

Politico reported that the incident wounded a child who happened to be in the area, and said Quinn said the child did not have a life-threatening injury.

France 24 with AFP said a bystander, a juvenile, was slightly wounded, and that the suspect was taken to hospital with his condition not immediately known.

WJLA (7News) said a child in the area was also hit during the gunfire, expected to be OK, and that the Secret Service said it believes the suspect's gunshot hit the boy.

The incident triggered security measures around the White House and the surrounding area, including a brief lockdown and road closures, while the Secret Service continued the event inside the White House.

NBC4 Washington said the shooting led to a brief evacuation of the White House North Lawn, with members of the press evacuated just after 3:40 p.m. when Secret Service officers ran out with long guns drawn and urged them to run inside the briefing room, and that reporters were allowed back outside about seven minutes later.

CNN

PBS (AP) said the White House was briefly locked down as authorities investigated the incident, and that the Secret Service ushered journalists who were outside into the briefing room, and Trump continued his event without interruption.

Politico reported that the Metropolitan Police Department will conduct an investigation into the use of force in the shooting.

WTOP described road closures and said a portion of Independence Avenue SW was closed from 14th Street to Maine Avenue SW, and that 15th Street was closed from Constitution Avenue NW to Maine Avenue SW, with police saying the closures were expected to last for several hours.

India Today said the incident briefly locked down the complex and prompted road closures as investigators examined the shooting, while also stating that officials did not report any threat to protected individuals.

DW said the nearby White House, where US President Donald Trump was reportedly attending a small business meeting, was reportedly briefly locked down.

Officials repeatedly addressed whether the suspect was targeting the president or the vice president, while also linking the incident to prior security concerns.

France 24 with AFP quoted Secret Service Deputy Director Matthew Quinn saying, “I'm not going to guess on that,” and that “Whether or not it was directed to the president or not, I don't know, but we will find out.”

DIE WELT

NBC4 Washington and Politico both reported that Quinn said there was no indication the vice president’s motorcade was targeted, and NBC4 Washington said, “Quinn clarified that the suspect was not on White House grounds but was nearby and had been under observation for a short period before the confrontation.”

PBS (AP) similarly said Quinn could not say definitively whether the Monday incident was related to Trump and again quoted him: “I'm not going to guess on that,” and “Whether or not it was directed to the president or not, I don't know, but we will find out.”

WTOP said “Not long before this shooting occurred, the vice president’s motorcade did transit through this area,” and that Quinn said there is “no indication the man was targeting the motorcade.”

Politico added that the incident came about a week after a gunman attempted to breach the security perimeter at the annual White House Correspondents’ Dinner in Washington in an alleged effort to assassinate President Donald Trump, and it also said the shooting came just months after a gunman opened fire on two National Guard soldiers blocks from the White House.

In the immediate aftermath, the consistent theme across outlets was that officials were withholding conclusions about intent while investigations continued.