WASHINGTON – A gunman who opened fire on Secret Service officers outside the White House on the evening of May 23 has died after being shot, the agency said in a statement provided to US media.
A bystander was also shot during the exchange of fire, the agency said, without providing the victim’s condition.
After the gunman opened fire on agents at a security checkpoint near the White House, “Secret Service police officers returned fire, striking the suspect, who was transported to an area hospital, where he later died,” the statement added.
A law enforcement official told Reuters that a person approached the checkpoint at 17th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue near the White House and started shooting at officers, according to the official. He had never breached the White House security perimeter.
The suspect had reportedly used a handgun and had been pacing along the street for sometime before drawing the weapon and firing.
He was identified as an emotionally disturbed person, the official said, adding that a “stay-away order” had been issued to the suspect previously.
Police and security forces swarmed the White House after shots were fired in the area, authorities said.
US Secret Service agents patrol the White House after alleged gunshots were heard on May 23.
PHOTO: REUTERS
US President Donald Trump was at the White House at the time as he worked to negotiate a deal with Iran.
Police cordoned off access to the White House and National Guard troops blocked an AFP reporter from entering the area in downtown Washington.
“FBI is on the scene and supporting Secret Service responding to shots fired near White House grounds,” FBI Director Kash Patel said on social media platform X.
Canadian tourist Reid Adrian told AFP he was in the area when “we heard probably 20 to 25 what sounded like fireworks, but they’re gunshots, and then everyone started running.”
Journalists who were on the White House North Lawn at the time said on X that they were ordered to run and shelter in the press briefing room.
Members of the media clear the North Lawn following reports of alleged gun fire near the White House on May 23.
PHOTO: EPA
ABC News correspondent Selina Wang had been recording a video for social media when the apparent gunfire broke out, capturing the sounds of the shots as she dove to the ground.
“It sounded like dozens of gunshots,” she said on X.
She is about three seconds into the recording when the noises are heard, and she heads to the floor for cover.
A Secret Service spokesman told AFP in a text message that the agency was still gathering information about the incident.
Mr Trump, aged 79, has been the target of three alleged assassination attempts, the most recent of which took place on April 25 when an armed man stormed a security checkpoint near the ballroom where he was attending a media gala.
In July 2024, Mr Trump was targeted during a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. A gunman fired several shots, killing an audience member and lightly wounding the then-candidate in the ear.
A few months later, another armed man was arrested on a West Palm Beach golf course where Mr Trump was playing a round.
“Thank God President Trump is safe,” House Republicans said on X after the shooting on May 23.
“Endless gratitude to the Secret Service for their immediate, heroic response. Political violence has to stop.” BLOOMBERG, REUTERS, AFP
