Secret Service Officers Shoot Armed Suspect After Gunfire Near White House

U.S. Secret Service officers shot an armed person during an exchange of gunfire near the White House on Monday, after the suspect pulled a gun and fired toward agents and officers.

“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

Multiple outlets placed the incident near 15th Street and Independence Avenue, close to the Washington Monument and near the National Mall, with the Secret Service describing a brief lockdown of the nearby White House.

ABC News

Fox News reported that Secret Service Uniformed Division officers engaged the individual after the person pulled a gun, citing a federal source, and said the shooting happened near 15th Street and Independence Avenue, “a little over a half mile from the White House and close to the Washington Monument.”

In a press conference, Secret Service Deputy Director Matt Quinn said a juvenile bystander was struck by the suspect, and that the child “did not sustain any life-threatening injuries, but is receiving treatment at the hospital.”

NBC4 Washington similarly said “One person was shot by an uniformed officer and a young bystander was injured during an exchange of gunfire near the National Mall on Monday afternoon,” and described the location as “15th Street SW and Independence Avenue, near the Washington Monument.”

The Secret Service said the confrontation began after surveillance personnel spotted a “visual print” of a weapon, with Quinn saying, “My understanding is they observed a print.”

Reuters and other reports also said the suspect was believed to be alive and taken to a hospital, while the Metropolitan Police Department said it was investigating and that the area had been secured.

The Secret Service described a sequence that began with plainclothes officers and agents spotting a person near the outer perimeter of the White House complex and identifying a weapon imprint before uniformed officers responded.

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

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It reported that the man ran, pulled out a firearm and fired toward officers, and that officers returned fire, striking him, with the suspect taken to a hospital.

The Guardian likewise said the individual was first identified by plainclothes officers, who said he looked suspicious and was believed to be carrying a firearm, and that when the individual saw uniformed agents, he fled on foot, drew his gun and fired.

In Fox News, Deputy Director Matt Quinn said the confrontation began after trained surveillance personnel spotted a “visual print” of a weapon, and he described 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,” followed by “They returned fire and engaged.”

France 24 reported that the incident unfolded shortly after Vice President JD Vance’s motorcade passed, and said officials did not believe the vice president was a target.

Politico also said the episode unfolded in the late afternoon when plainclothes officers determined that a person had a gun and called for backup, and that a weapon was recovered from the man.

Across the accounts, the White House was briefly locked down and journalists were ushered into the briefing room, with the White House event continuing without interruption.

Secret Service Deputy Director Matt Quinn addressed both the bystander injury and the question of whether the suspect targeted political figures, repeatedly declining to speculate while saying investigators would determine intent.

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Fox News quoted Quinn saying, “I can’t say—I’m not going to guess on that,” when asked if the suspect was targeting President Trump in light of the recent attack at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner.

In the same press conference, Quinn said, “I can tell you that every time, we’re patrolling this area. In every site, we do 24/7, hardcore, whether or not it was directed to the president or not, I don’t know. But we will find out.”

NBC4 Washington reported that Quinn believed the suspect’s gunfire struck the young bystander, saying, “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 and the Associated Press account similarly said Quinn could not say definitively that the bystander was struck by the suspect’s gun, but noted that “investigators believe he was struck by the suspect.”

WTOP added that investigators believed the child was shot by the armed man, not law enforcement, and quoted Quinn’s description of the exchange of gunfire.

Politico described the intentions as “not immediately clear,” and quoted Quinn saying, “Whether or not it was directed to the president or not, I don’t know,” while adding, “But we will find out.”

Across the reports, Quinn also said Vice President JD Vance’s motorcade had driven through the area not long before the shooting, and that it was unrelated, with Reuters and France 24 both tying the timing to the motorcade while stating Vance was not believed to be a target.

While the core facts of an officer-involved shooting near the White House were consistent, outlets emphasized different details about the bystander, the lockdown, and the surrounding context.

Fox News focused on the “visual print” detection and said the juvenile bystander was struck by the suspect, adding that the child “did not sustain any life-threatening injuries.”

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NBC4 Washington similarly described the bystander as a “juvenile” and reported a “possible graze wound to his lower body,” while also stating that “His injuries are not life-threatening, Quinn said.”

The Guardian and PBS both framed the bystander as a juvenile and described Quinn’s uncertainty about whether the bystander was struck by the suspect’s gun, with PBS quoting Quinn: “We'll let the doctors figure that out,” and “investigators believe he was struck by the suspect.”

Politico highlighted the incident’s timing “shortly after Vice President JD Vance passed by in a motorcade” and described the intentions as “not immediately clear,” while also noting that “Both the bystander and the suspect were taken to the hospital.”

WTOP, meanwhile, emphasized the location details by referencing “the Sidney R. Yates building where the Forest Service is headquartered,” and it quoted Quinn’s description of the exchange of gunfire and said investigators believed the child was shot by the armed man, not law enforcement.

The Washington Post’s account described the White House as briefly locked down after an “officer exchanged gunfire with an armed individual nearby,” and it said the person was shot about 3:30 p.m. at 15th Street SW and Independence Avenue SW near the Washington Monument.

Across these framings, the shared thread was that the Secret Service said the White House was briefly locked down and that President Donald Trump continued a small business event without interruption, with NBC4 Washington and the Guardian both tying the shooting to the ongoing event.

The immediate aftermath included hospital transport for both the suspect and the juvenile bystander, a Secret Service statement that one individual was shot by law enforcement, and an investigation by the Metropolitan Police Department into the use of force.

Fox News said the Secret Service posted on X that one individual was shot by law enforcement, and that the Metropolitan Police Department said it is on the scene investigating and that the area has been secured.

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NBC4 Washington reported that D.C.’s Metropolitan Police Department would handle the investigation, including the use of force in the shooting, and said a weapon was recovered at the scene.

WTOP added that road closures were expected to last for several hours, and it quoted D.C. police on closures including “A portion of Independence Avenue SW is closed from 14th Street to Maine Avenue SW” and “15th Street is also closed from Constitution Avenue NW to Maine Avenue SW.”

The Guardian and PBS both said the Secret Service encouraged people to avoid the area as emergency crews responded and that the White House was briefly locked down while authorities investigated.

Politico and Fox News both placed the incident in a broader security context, noting it came about a week after a gunman attempted to breach the security perimeter at the annual White House Correspondents’ Dinner, with Politico referencing that episode and Fox News referencing the “recent attack at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner.”

France 24 and PBS both said Quinn declined to speculate on whether the Monday incident was related to recent attempts on President Donald Trump’s life, quoting Quinn’s refusal: “I'm not going to guess on that.”

The New York Post reported that President Trump did not address the shooting and that the event with President Trump and small business owners went on as scheduled.