At least two people were injured this Saturday in a shooting that occurred near the White House grounds, at the intersection of 17th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue NW, across from the Eisenhower Executive Office Building.
The incident occurred around 6:00 p.m. Eastern Time. Between 15 and 30 shots were fired during the confrontation, reported the television station CBS News.
One of the injured is the suspect, who was taken to a hospital in critical condition. The second, a possible bystander, was hospitalized in serious condition.
According to sources, Secret Service agents were the target of the shots, returned fire, and managed to neutralize the threat without any of them needing hospitalization. Several agents were assessed at the scene as a precautionary measure.
The spokesperson for the Secret Service, Anthony Guglielmi, confirmed that the agency was aware of the "reports of gunfire near 17th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue NW" and was working to "corroborate the information with personnel on the ground."
The director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Kash Patel, stated on his X account that the agency "is on the scene and assisting the Secret Service in response to shots fired near the White House grounds. We will update the public as soon as we can."
Journalists from CBS News who were in the north lawn of the White House preparing for a live broadcast heard the gunshots and were escorted inside the complex.
The associate producer Emma Nicholson recounted that the team "hit the ground" upon hearing the gunshots before being led inside. The lockdown of the complex was lifted shortly after, and the press was allowed to return to the North Garden.
This incident occurs in a context of growing concern for security around the White House. On April 25, a man opened fire during the Annual Correspondents' Dinner at the Washington Hilton, which forced the evacuation of President Donald Trump, First Lady Melania Trump, and Vice President JD Vance.
On April 5, the Secret Service investigated gunfire near Lafayette Park without reporting any injuries, and on May 4, another shooting incident occurred, forcing the press office of the presidential complex to be locked down.
The shooting this Saturday marks at least the fourth shooting incident in the vicinity of the White House in less than two months, raising concerns about security in one of the most closely monitored areas in the United States.
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