An individual opened fire on a security checkpoint near the White House in Washington on Saturday evening and was fatally shot by Secret Service officers who responded, according to authorities.
According to a statement sent to the media by the Secret Service, responsible for the close protection of the presidency and vice presidency, the shooter fired at Secret Service agents who returned fire. Wounded by a bullet, the suspect “was transported to a hospital in the region, where he was later pronounced dead,” the statement said.
A bystander was also hit during the exchange of gunfire, the Secret Service added without providing details on their condition. President Donald Trump, who has already faced three presumed assassination attempts in the last two years, was in the White House at the time of the incident, after canceling all his weekend trips due to the crisis with Iran.
A shooter with a “history of violence”
The man who fired multiple shots on Saturday evening near the White House in Washington before being shot dead “had a history of violence and seemed obsessed” with the building, said US President Donald Trump.
“Thank you to our great Secret Service agents and law enforcement for the swift and professional response tonight against an armed man near the White House, who had a history of violence and seemed obsessed with the most cherished building in our country,” Mr. Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform.
Secret Service assisted by FBI
“The FBI is on site and is supporting the Secret Service, which is responding to shots fired near the White House,” tweeted the director of the US Federal Police, Kash Patel.
A Fox News anchor, Bret Baier, reported comments from a senior administration official that an armed man approached the west side of the White House and fired three times. According to the anchor, the shooter never crossed the security perimeter of the presidential headquarters.
A Canadian tourist, Reid Adrian, told AFP that he was in the area when “we heard between 20 and 25 bangs that sounded like fireworks, but they were gunshots, and then everyone started running.”
“Political violence must stop”
Police sealed off access to the White House and National Guard soldiers prevented an AFP journalist from entering the area. Journalists on the north lawn at the time reported on X that they had been ordered to run for cover in the White House press room.
ABC News correspondent Selina Wang was recording a video for social media when gunshots apparently rang out. She captured the sound of the shots as she took cover. “It sounded like dozens of gunshots,” she said on X.
“Thankfully, President Trump is safe,” wrote House Republicans on X after Saturday evening’s shooting. “We express our infinite gratitude to the Secret Service for their immediate and heroic intervention. Political violence must stop,” they added.
