Secret Service Kills Gunman Who Fired at White House Checkpoint

A man opened fire on a Secret Service checkpoint outside the White House on Saturday evening and was shot dead by officers, and a bystander was wounded, according to Al Jazeera and Newsweek. President Trump was inside the building and was not harmed, both outlets reported.

The shooting happened shortly after 6 p.m. at the checkpoint near 17th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue NW, on the northwest edge of the White House complex. The Secret Service said a preliminary investigation indicated the man concealed a weapon in a bag, then drew it and fired at officers on post. Agents returned fire, and he was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead, Al Jazeera and Newsweek reported. No Secret Service personnel were hurt. Authorities said it was unclear whether the bystander was hit by the initial gunfire or during the exchange that followed, according to Al Jazeera.

The White House was placed under lockdown. Journalists on the North Lawn were ordered into the press briefing room to shelter in place, and National Guard troops kept reporters from approaching the area, Al Jazeera reported. ABC’s Selina Wang, who was filming on the grounds, said it sounded like “dozens of gunshots,” Newsweek reported. Al Jazeera’s reporter at the scene counted more than 30 shots.

FBI Director Kash Patel said the bureau was assisting and would update the public as it could, according to Al Jazeera and Newsweek. Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin said on X that “tonight’s shooting is a reminder of the dangers our law enforcement officers face every day,” Al Jazeera reported. The Metropolitan Police Department said the Secret Service is leading the investigation and urged the public to stay away from the area, Newsweek reported. Authorities had not released the man’s identity or a motive Saturday evening, Al Jazeera said.

White House Communications Director Steven Cheung posted that Mr. Trump was “working at 8pm,” Al Jazeera reported. Later, on Truth Social, Mr. Trump thanked the Secret Service and law enforcement for their “swift and professional action,” and tied the incident to his ballroom project, calling it “the most safe and secure space of its kind ever built in Washington, D.C.,” according to Al Jazeera. Newsweek noted that the shooting comes amid a congressional dispute over roughly $1 billion in federal security funding tied to the proposed White House ballroom.

The shooting follows an April 25 incident at the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner at the Washington Hilton, when shots were fired near a security screening area and Mr. Trump was evacuated. Law enforcement described it as an attempted assassination, and a suspect was arrested, Al Jazeera and Newsweek reported.