A major security scare unfolded near the White House on Saturday evening after multiple gunshots were heard close to the presidential complex, prompting an immediate lockdown response from law enforcement agencies and forcing journalists covering the White House to run for shelter.
The US Secret Service shot down and killed the person, reportedly the suspect, near the scene while a bystander was also injured during the chaos.
US President Donald Trump was inside the White House at the time, where he had been engaged in high-level negotiations related to a possible agreement involving Iran and several Middle Eastern countries.
Police, Secret Service personnel and federal agents quickly flooded the area around the White House after reports of shots fired emerged near 17th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue NW, just a block away from the presidential grounds. Authorities sealed off sections of downtown Washington as National Guard troops and security officers restricted access around the area.
The US Secret Service confirmed it was investigating reports of gunfire near the White House and said officials were working to verify details from personnel on the ground.
Kash Patel, director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, said FBI agents were assisting the Secret Service in responding to the incident.
“FBI is on the scene and supporting Secret Service responding to shots fired near White House grounds — we will update the public as we’re able,” Patel posted on X.
