Police shot and killed a suspect after approaching a White House security checkpoint and opening fire on U.S. Secret Service agents, law enforcement officials said.
Dozens of shots rang out near the White House on Saturday evening, triggering a lockdown while President Trump was meeting with close advisers inside the Oval Office.
“A preliminary investigation indicates that as the individual approached, he removed a weapon from his bag and began firing at posted officers,” the Secret Service said in a statement. “Secret Service police officers returned fire, striking the suspect, who was transported to an area hospital, where he later died.”
A bystander was also struck during the shooting, though it remains unclear whether the gunfire came from the suspect or during the “subsequent exchange of gunfire,” according to the USS.
(Photo by Brendan SMIALOWSKI / AFP via Getty Images)
Reuters reported that the suspect was an “emotionally disturbed” male with a previous “stay-away order.”
Around 6 p.m., reporters gathered on the North Lawn were suddenly rushed into the White House briefing room after hearing what sounded like nearly 30 gunshots nearby.
“I was in the middle of taping on my iPhone for a social video from the White House North Lawn when we heard the shots. It sounded like dozens of gunshots. We were told to sprint to the press briefing room where we are holding now,” ABC reporter Selina Wang posted on X.
The U.S. Secret Service said it is investigating the shooting.
“No injuries were sustained by Secret Service personnel. The President was at the White House during the incident but was not impacted.”
The FBI is also on the scene supporting agents, according to Director Kash Patel.
More dramatic video showed U.S. Secret Service agents shouting at reporters to evacuate their camera positions.
Secret Service orders members of the press to abandon their reporting pods on the north lawn of the White House and go toward the briefing room after dozens of shots were heard nearby
Via @NewsNation https://t.co/XDPJhCybVP pic.twitter.com/rPTGsgCGZz
— OSZ (@OpenSourceZone) May 23, 2026
(Photo by Ulysse BELLIER / AFP via Getty Images)
The shooting came roughly an hour after President Trump announced that a deal aimed at ending the conflict with Iran was close to being finalized.
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