Secret Service Kills Armed Gunman in Shooting Outside White House, Bystander Wounded

WASHINGTON — An armed suspect opened fire outside the White House on Saturday evening, prompting the Secret Service to return fire and fatally shoot him. A civilian bystander was also wounded in the exchange.

According to a statement from the U.S. Secret Service, the incident occurred shortly after 6:00 p.m. near 17th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue, just blocks from the White House. The suspect produced a weapon from his bag and began firing. Secret Service officers returned fire, striking the suspect, who was transported to a hospital and pronounced dead upon arrival.

A civilian bystander was also struck by gunfire during the incident. Details about the bystander’s identity, age, gender, or current condition were not immediately available, nor was it confirmed whether the bystander was hit by the suspect or by Secret Service fire. No Secret Service officers were injured.

The suspect never breached the White House perimeter or came close to the grounds. President Trump, who was in Washington for the weekend — a relatively rare occurrence — remained safe inside the White House throughout the event. He was working in the Oval Office at the time of the shooting, alongside aides including Stephen Chong, Natalie Harp, and Margot Martin.

The White House Communications Director posted on X confirming that the President had been working in the Oval Office since the morning and continued doing so into the evening hours. The President had spent the day on the phone with officials regarding the conflict in the Middle East and efforts to broker a peace deal.

The area where the shooting took place is near the Executive Office Building and a common entry point to the White House grounds. Pennsylvania Avenue in that vicinity sometimes has an extended security perimeter when the President is in residence.