Secret Service Shooting Near White House Triggers Lockdown

The White House was on lockdown on May 4 after a Secret Service officer was involved in a shooting with an armed individual near the Washington Monument. 

The incident happened just a few blocks from the White House and left a juvenile bystander injured. 

“According to the Secret Service, plainclothes officers assigned to patrol the White House perimeter first identified a suspicious individual around 3:30 p.m. near 15th Street and Independence Avenue. The person appeared to be carrying a firearm. When uniformed officers attempted to make contact, the individual fled on foot before turning and opening fire in the direction of law enforcement,” USA Today reports.                                                                    

Officers shot back and struck the suspect. During the shooting, a juvenile bystander was hit by a shot fired by the suspect, officials said. Both the suspect’s and the bystander’s injuries were described as non-life-threatening. 

The situation prompted an immediate lockdown at the White House. Reporters gathered on the North Lawn were directed into the press briefing room around 3:41 p.m. as a precaution. Despite the disruption, President Donald Trump proceeded with a scheduled event in the East Room roughly five minutes later and did not address the incident publicly.

The suspect’s identity and condition have not yet been released.

The shooting comes amid heightened security concerns following a separate incident on April 24, when an armed individual breached security at the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner. In that case, a Secret Service agent was shot but survived, and the suspect now faces multiple federal charges.

Officials say there is currently no indication the May 4 suspect was targeting the president or Vice President JD Vance, whose motorcade had passed through the area shortly before the shooting. The investigation remains ongoing.

Secret Service Shooting Near White House Triggers Brief Lockdown was originally published on cassiuslife.com