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The suspect who opened fire on Secret Service agents at a checkpoint in front of the White House on Saturday died after being taken to a local hospital, the White House confirmed in an official statement.
The incident occurred shortly after 6:00 p.m. on Saturday at the intersection of 17th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue NW, one block from the presidential complex.
A spokesperson for the Secret Service stated to the television network Fox News that the individual approached the checkpoint, pulled a weapon from his bag, and began firing at the agents stationed there.
The agents returned fire, injuring the suspect, who was taken to a hospital where he later died.
The suspect fired approximately three shots in the direction of the White House before being neutralized, and as many as 30 shots were heard in the direction of the Eisenhower Executive Office Building.
During the exchange of gunfire, a passerby was also injured. Authorities indicated that it remains unclear whether the individual was struck by the suspect's initial shots or during the subsequent exchange.
No agents from the Secret Service were injured. President Donald Trump was at the White House during the incident and was not harmed.
Official sources indicated that the suspect, whose identity was not immediately disclosed, had a history of mental health issues and never managed to breach the general perimeter of the White House grounds.
The FBI, the Secret Service, and the Metropolitan Police of Washington participated in the response. The director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Kash Patel, confirmed the presence of agents at the scene.
"The FBI is on the scene supporting the Secret Service in response to the gunfire near the White House," Patel wrote on his X account.
The Senate Majority Leader, John Thune, praised the Secret Service for their "decisive actions to protect President Trump and everyone present in and around the White House tonight."
The representative Steve Scalise, who was shot in 2017, reacted to the incident and wrote: "We live in dangerous times. Praying for President Trump, those injured near the White House, and the brave agents of the Secret Service."
The shooting on Saturday occurred hours after Trump held high-level meetings with leaders from Middle Eastern countries as part of negotiations regarding a potential agreement with Iran.
The Secret Service statement clarified that "the incident is still under investigation."
This shooting represents at least the fourth shooting incident in the vicinity of the White House in less than two months.
On April 25, a shooting during the Annual Correspondents' Dinner at the Washington Hilton forced the evacuation of Trump, Melania, and Vice President JD Vance; the suspect, Cole Thomas Allen, 31 years old, was apprehended.
On May 4, shots near 15th Street and Independence Avenue forced the Secret Service to block the press office of the presidential complex.
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