The incident occurred at around 6 p.m. local time when an individual approached a checkpoint near the White House grounds and began firing at officers. Secret Service personnel returned fire, fatally wounding the suspect, who later died at a nearby hospital, according to multiple U.S. media reports.
No Secret Service personnel were injured, but a bystander was critically injured during the exchange of gunfire, though authorities said it remains unclear whether the person was struck by the suspect or by Secret Service officers.
Witnesses said they heard multiple gunshots near the White House, while reporters and photographers at the scene were hurriedly evacuated to a secure area as the press compound was cordoned off for roughly 40 minutes.
U.S. President Donald Trump, who had canceled a planned trip to his golf club in New Jersey, was reportedly inside the White House at the time and was not harmed, a White House official said, adding that he had been briefed on the incident.
Authorities said an investigation into the shooting is underway, adding that the suspect is believed to have had a history of mental illness, according to initial reports.
During his presidential campaign in July 2024, he narrowly survived a shooting while delivering a speech in Pennsylvania. Two months later, a gunman was discovered lying in wait at a golf course in Florida.
Copyright ⓒ Aju Press All rights reserved.