U.S. Secret Service Shoots Armed Individual Near White House During Confrontation

In the early hours of Sunday morning, Secret Service agents engaged in a confrontation with an armed man near the White House grounds. The individual was subsequently shot by agents after reportedly brandishing a firearm. Authorities transported him to a nearby hospital, although his current condition remains unclear. No Secret Service personnel sustained injuries in the altercation.

President Donald Trump was not at the White House at the time of the incident, as he was spending the weekend at his residence in Florida. According to an official statement, Secret Service agents had previously received information from local authorities on Saturday suggesting that a suicidal person might be traveling from Indiana toward Washington D.C. The suspect's vehicle was located just a block away from the White House shortly before the confrontation took place.

The shooting is currently under investigation by the Internal Affairs Division of Washington’s Metropolitan Police Department; however, officials offered no further details at this time.

This event follows a pattern of similar incidents involving armed individuals near the White House. Notably, in 2016, another man who openly displayed a handgun at a security gate was also shot by security officers. More recently, in 2023, a young immigrant from India named Sai Varshith Kandula attempted to breach White House barricades using a rented truck, but he failed to penetrate security defenses.

President Trump himself narrowly escaped significant harm earlier this year during an assassination attempt at a political rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, when a gunman fired at him, causing an injury to his ear. An internal review by the Secret Service later revealed that communication issues and lapses in vigilance contributed to the incident nearly becoming tragic.