A person who approached a White House security checkpoint and began firing at officers has died. The Secret Service said in a statement late Saturday that, according to a preliminary investigation, the person approached a checkpoint shortly after 6pm local time “removed a weapon from his bag and began firing at posted officers.” Officers returned fire and hit the suspect, who was transported to hospital, where he later died, according to the Secret Service . A bystander was struck, but a law enforcement official said
it wasn’t clear whether that person was struck by the suspect’s initial bullets or those fired subsequently by officers. Secret Service said none of its officers were injured, and that President Donald Trump — who was at the White House at the time — was not “impacted.” Journalists based at the White House on Saturday said they heard multiple gunshots and were instructed to take shelter inside the press briefing room. U.S. Secret Service officers prevented them from leaving. On X, the Secret Service confirmed
it was “aware of reports of shots fired near 17th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue NW” – just one block from the White House – and was “working to corroborate the information with personnel on the ground.” It promised an update would follow shortly. In a social media statement, FBI Director Kash Patel said officers were responding to shots fired and pledged to “update the public as we’re able.” President Donald Trump was inside the White House at the time. In a post shared on X,
Selina Wang, the senior White House correspondent for ABC News, shared dramatic footage of the moment she said she heard what “sounded like dozens of gunshots” and ducked for cover. Explaining that she had been carrying out a routine task for reporters at the White House – filming themselves on a mobile phone for a social media post – Wang’s video shows her speaking for a few seconds about Trump’s statements earlier Saturday about a potential Iran deal. As the sound of gunshots rang out
in the background, Wang’s eyes widened and she ducked for cover inside the media tent — one of several positioned along the White House driveway where broadcasters film their reports. The video shared by Wang on X had been viewed at least 3 million times and shared thousands of times by Saturday evening. The Metropolitan Police Department posted on its X account that the Secret Service was managing the situation, urging members of the public to steer clear of the area. The incident occurred close
to the spot where a gunman ambushed two members of the West Virginia National Guard last November.
White House, Secret Service, shooting, lockdown, President Donald Trump, FBI, Kash Patel, 17th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue NW