Suspected gunman dies after gunshots heard near White House

WASHINGTON (Web Desk) - Secret Service officers shot and killed a person who the agency said approached a security checkpoint Saturday near the White House and fired at them.

Shortly before 6 p.m. ET, an individual approached a checkpoint just outside the White House complex and began firing at officers, a Secret Service spokesperson said, citing a preliminary investigation.

Secret Service officers returned fire and hit the suspect, who later died at an area hospital, the spokesperson said.

“During the shooting, a bystander was also struck by gunfire. It remains unclear whether the bystander was struck by the suspect’s initial gunfire or during the subsequent exchange of gunfire,” the spokesperson added.

Secret Service personnel were not injured, and President Donald Trump was in the residence and unaffected, the spokesperson said. He’s been briefed on the incident by the Secret Service, a White House official said.

The bystander is in critical condition, according to a law enforcement official.

The sounds of gunfire broke out nearly an hour after a press lid had been called at 5:06 p.m. — a signal that reporters were not expecting to see Trump again for the remainder of the day. By that point, many journalists and White House press staff had already departed the complex.

Members of the press corps on the North Lawn were rushed into the White House briefing room, where they were told to shelter in place as Secret Service agents shouted “get down” and warned of “shots fired.” CNN counted roughly two dozen journalists sheltering inside the briefing room during the lockdown, including photographers, producers, photojournalists and correspondents.

FBI Director Kash Patel said on X that the agency “is on the scene and supporting Secret Service responding to shots fired near White House grounds - we will update the public as we’re able.”

The incident comes less than a month after the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, where reporters and Trump administration officials ducked for cover as shots rang out.

The suspect in that shooting, Cole Tomas Allen, sprinted through a security checkpoint with a shotgun in hand, exchanging fire with Secret Service agents who chased behind him, according to security footage. He has pleaded not guilty to attempting to assassinate Trump and to other charges.