An armed individual was shot by law enforcement just blocks from the White House after engaging in a confrontation with Secret Service agents, the agency confirmed on Monday. The man is being treated at an area hospital but his condition is unknown.
The suspect was identified by plain clothes officers around 3:30 p.m. walking near the outer perimeter of the White House complex, Secret Service officials told reporters after the incident. Those agents observed a “visual print” of a firearm and, after following him for a “brief period of time,” called uniformed Secret Service Police to respond.
When the uniformed agents made contact with the suspect he “fled briefly on foot, withdrew a firearm, and fired in the direction” of the Secret Service agents, said Matt Quinn, deputy director of Secret Service. The agents returned fire, hitting the suspect near the Washington Monument, roughly 1 mile from the White House.
During the exchange, a juvenile bystander was also hit, Quinn said, which investigators believe was fired by the suspect. The bystander was transported to a local hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
It’s not clear whether the suspect had intentions to harm the president or enter the White House grounds. Quinn declined to give details, noting the incident is still under investigation.
However, Quinn said the vice president’s motorcade had passed through the area shortly before the shooting occurred. It’s not clear if Vice President JD Vance was a potential target, but Secret Service officials say the suspect did not engage with the motorcade.
“We will get to the bottom of that,” Quinn said.
Vance was in the motorcade when it passed by, Quinn confirmed.
Several White House reporters said on social media that they were escorted away from the North Lawn following the incident and relocated inside the briefing room. President Donald Trump gave scheduled remarks at a small business summit located at the White House.
The incident is still under investigation.
“We’re patrolling this area and every site we do 24/7,” Quinn said. “Whether or not it was directed to the president or not, I don’t know, but we will find out.”
The shooting comes just one week after an attempted assassination against Trump at the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner. That incident has resulted in heightened security presence at certain areas in Washington, D.C.