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The Secret Service launched a strong emergency operation on Monday after shots were reported in the vicinity of the White House, an incident that necessitated the lockdown of the press office and heightened security throughout the presidential perimeter in Washington D.C.
The alert was triggered at the intersection of 15th Street and Independence Avenue, a sensitive area located at the southern boundary of the complex. The chief correspondent in Washington for Newsmax, James Rosen, was one of the first to report the incident on the social media platform X: “Shots fired near the White House complex… The Secret Service is blocking the press office and other locations.”
Minutes later, the Secret Service's Communications Office confirmed that its agents were responding to gunfire in the area and that one person had been shot by law enforcement. The condition of the individual remains unknown at this time. Authorities have urged the public to avoid the area while emergency teams are working on-site.
The security protocol was activated immediately, with the closure of key access points and the isolation of several facilities within the presidential complex, amidst uncertainty regarding the nature of the incident.
What happened occurs in a context of increasing tension surrounding presidential security. Just eight days prior, an armed attack during the Annual White House Correspondents' Dinner forced the evacuation of President Donald Trump, First Lady Melania Trump, and Vice President JD Vance.
In that episode, an armed man managed to open fire inside the Washington Hilton hotel, injuring a Secret Service agent. The attacker, identified as Cole Tomas Allen, was apprehended and is facing federal charges, including attempted crimes against the president.
The shooting on Monday also marks the third reported shooting incident near the White House in less than two months, a pattern that has raised concerns about security in one of the most monitored spaces in the world.
For now, authorities are keeping the investigation open as Washington experiences moments of tension just steps away from the political heart of the United States.
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