May 5, 2026 – A shooting incident near the White House led to a brief lockdown of the premises on May 4, local time.
According to a statement released by the US Secret Service, “Secret Service personnel responded to a shooting involving law enforcement at the intersection of 15th Street and Independence Avenue in Washington, D.C. One person was shot by law enforcement, and the situation is currently unclear.” The incident occurred approximately one mile (1.61 kilometers) from the White House, near the Washington Monument.
Xinhua News Agency reported that one person was shot by law enforcement, and another was grazed by a bullet. US media outlets, citing law enforcement sources, stated that the person shot was taken to the hospital and is in stable condition.
The Secret Service explained that the incident occurred around 3:30 pm local time, shortly after Vice President Pence’s motorcade had passed through the area. The agency also stated that the incident began when a gunman engaged in a confrontation with Secret Service police.
Matthew Quinn, Deputy Director of the Secret Service, said during a press conference that plainclothes police and agents were patrolling the perimeter of the White House complex when they encountered a suspicious individual who appeared to be armed. The plainclothes police briefly followed the individual before uniformed law enforcement approached him. The individual then attempted to flee and fired at law enforcement, who returned fire and struck the individual. The person was taken to the hospital for treatment.
Quinn emphasized that it is currently unclear who the gunman’s target was. When asked if the incident was related to a plot to assassinate President Trump, Quinn replied, “We are patrolling this area and every location around the clock. I don’t know if it was targeting the President, but we will get to the bottom of it.”
According to sources, the situation is now under control, and there is no severe security threat. US media reporters at the White House took to social media to report that President Trump was inside the White House attending a meeting at the time of the incident and was not affected. However, just minutes before Trump arrived at the East Room for the event, the Secret Service urgently requested media personnel to leave the North Lawn and enter the press briefing room due to the sound of gunfire.
On April 25, a shooting incident occurred at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner hall. President Trump stated on April 26 that the suspect was apprehended by law enforcement on the scene and did not approach the dinner hall. The suspect had left a note calling for attacks on government officials and held “anti-Christian” views. Trump described the suspect as “a very troubled person,” and the suspect’s family members had expressed concerns to the police before the incident.
