A shooter fired multiple rounds at a Secret Service checkpoint outside the White House on Saturday evening, triggering a lockdown of the compound and prompting armed officers to return fire. The suspect was shot and later died at a hospital.
The incident unfolded at approximately 6 p.m. near 17th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue NW, when a male approached the security barrier, pulled a gun from a bag, and began firing at officers stationed there. Secret Service personnel responded with gunfire of their own, striking the shooter. He was transported to a hospital where he was pronounced dead.
Reporters gathered on the North Lawn heard between 20 and 30 gunshots ring out around 6:04 p.m. Secret Service agents immediately rushed journalists inside the press briefing room, with armed personnel positioned just outside with weapons drawn. The entire White House grounds entered lockdown, which remained in effect until 6:46 p.m.
President Donald Trump was inside the White House at the time and sustained no injuries. No agents were harmed in the exchange. The Secret Service confirmed that a bystander was also struck, though officials could not immediately clarify which party's gunfire caused that wound.
Three officials indicated the suspect had prior contact with both D.C. police and the Secret Service, though he remained unidentified as of Saturday evening. The shooting is under active investigation by federal and local authorities. FBI Director Kash Patel announced the FBI was on scene supporting the Secret Service. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Metropolitan Police Department are also assisting in the investigation.
The confrontation occurred on Pennsylvania Avenue's west end, a pedestrian plaza fronting the north side of the White House. The area had only recently reopened to the public following a months long closure.
Vice President JD Vance was reported at the White House earlier in the day, though it remains unclear whether he was present during the shooting.
Author Sarah Mitchell: "This is the second time in recent weeks the White House has faced a direct armed threat, and it underscores how vulnerable even heavily fortified perimeters remain."
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