The Secret Service confirmed that a suspected gunman who opened fire on Secret Service agents near the White House has died.
A spokesman for the department also announced on Saturday, May 23, that a passerby was injured in the violent incident and is currently in critical condition. The suspected gunman – who has not been publicly named – reportedly opened fire at a Secret Service checkpoint at 17th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington DC, but did not injure any agents.
“Shortly after 6 p.m. Saturday, an individual in the area of 17th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue pulled a gun from his pocket and began shooting,” the Secret Service communications chief said Anthony Guglielmi told Us weekly on Saturday. “Secret Service police returned fire, hitting the suspect, who was taken to an area hospital where he was pronounced dead. During the shootout, a passerby was also struck by gunfire.”
The statement concluded: “Officers suffered no injuries. The President (Donald Trump) was at the White House during the incident, but no protectees or operations were affected. The incident remains under investigation and further information will be released as it becomes available.”
Shocking new video footage shows the moment shots rang out at the White House correspondents’ dinner last weekend. Jeanine Pirro, the United States Attorney for the District of Columbia, appeared on X on Thursday, April 30
CNN reported that investigators linked the suspected shooter’s name to someone with whom they had “multiple encounters in and around the White House.”
Us has reached out to the White House and Secret Service for comment.
Earlier in the night, a Secret Service spokesman confirmed this Us that the agency is “gathering information and will have more information on this incident shortly.”
“The FBI is on the ground assisting the Secret Service in responding to shots fired near the White House grounds – we will keep the public informed as much as possible,” FBI Director said Kash Patel tweeted a short time later.
White House reporters were at the scene when the shooting occurred. They were quickly taken to the briefing room and locked down for about 40 minutes, according to multiple sources.
Police vehicles and armed Secret Service agents are seen on a blocked street near the White House.
Getty Images/Alex WROBLEWSKI / AFP“I was in the middle of recording a social video on my iPhone from the North Lawn of the White House when we heard the shots,” ABC News’ White House correspondent said Selina Wang tweeted at the time. “It sounded like dozens of shots. We were told to run to the press conference room, which is where we are now.”
The incident came less than a month after shots were fired at the Washington Hilton during the annual White House Correspondents’ Dinner on April 25.
President Trump, 79, First Lady Melania TrumpVice President JD Vance and numerous other administration officials were all in the Hilton ballroom when gunfire erupted near the main magnetometer in the lobby. They were all chased out of the ballroom shortly after the shooting.
President Donald Trump praised First Lady Melania Trump’s response to a shooting at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner. “I want to thank the first lady, this was a pretty traumatic experience for her,” Trump, 79, told reporters from the White House on Saturday, April 25. “We will not allow anyone to take over our society (…)”
Cole Tomas Allen is believed to have shot a Secret Service agent in his body armor during the crossfire, after which the agent was taken to a local hospital for treatment. (Trump told reporters in a briefing that the Secret Service agent was saved by his security vest.)
Allen, 31, was later charged with attempted assassination of the president, interstate transportation of weapons and discharging a firearm during a violent crime and pleaded not guilty at a May 11 court hearing.
