U.S. Secret Service agents shot and critically injured an armed man near the White House early Sunday morning following a confrontation, according to an agency statement.
The incident occurred after authorities had been alerted that a man from Indiana was traveling to Washington, D.C., with the intent to provoke law enforcement into a fatal confrontation.
The shooting took place shortly after midnight near the intersection of 17th and G Streets NW, less than a block from the White House complex. The man, whose identity and age have not been released, was transported to a local hospital and remains in critical condition after undergoing surgery. No Secret Service personnel were injured in the incident.
The Secret Service stated that it had received a tip from local law enforcement on Saturday about a potentially suicidal individual traveling from Indiana to Washington, D.C. The agency was informed that the man was armed and seeking a confrontation with police. Officers later located a vehicle matching the description provided by authorities parked near 17th and F Streets NW. Shortly after, they encountered the man on foot in the vicinity.
According to Anthony Guglielmi, a Secret Service spokesperson, the man brandished a firearm as officers approached him, prompting agents to open fire. Multiple agents discharged their weapons during the confrontation. The Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) has taken over the investigation, as is standard procedure for officer-involved shootings in the District of Columbia.
President Donald Trump was not at the White House at the time of the incident, as he was spending the weekend at his Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida. Authorities have stated that there was no immediate threat to the White House or the president.
The area where the shooting occurred is a high-security zone, given its proximity to the White House and other federal buildings. The incident marks the latest in a series of confrontations involving armed individuals near the White House grounds. In 2016, a man was shot after brandishing a handgun at a White House security checkpoint. More recently, in 2023, a 20-year-old man attempted to breach the White House barriers in a rented truck.
The Secret Service emphasized that its personnel acted in response to an immediate threat. “As officers approached, the individual brandished a firearm, and an armed confrontation ensued, during which shots were fired by our personnel,” the agency said in a statement. The MPD’s Internal Affairs Division, which investigates all use-of-force incidents involving law enforcement in the district, is leading the probe.
Further details about the man’s motives or background have not been disclosed. The investigation remains ongoing, and authorities have not yet released additional information about the circumstances leading up to the shooting.