The White House was plunged into lockdown following reports of 20 to 30 gunshots heard in the area Saturday night. President Donald Trump was said to be inside the complex at the time.
Reports on social media showed Secret Service and snipers on the roof and grounds of the presidential residence on Saturday at around 6 p.m.
Shortly after reports emerged on social media about the active shooter at the White House, FBI Director Kash Patel confirmed that law enforcement was on scene investigating the situation. “FBI 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,” Patel wrote on X.
Likewise, the Secret Service posted on X that it was “aware of reports of shots fired near 17th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue NW”—one block from the White House— and was “working to corroborate the information with personnel on the ground.”
The lockdown has now lifted but investigations are ongoing.
Follow our live blog below for the latest updates.
New UpdatesView PostToday01:04 BST
Shortly after 6:00 p.m. Saturday, an individual approached a Secret Service checkpoint in the area of 17th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue NW. A preliminary investigation indicates that as the individual approached, he removed a weapon from his bag and began firing at posted officers. Secret Service police officers returned fire, striking the suspect, who was transported to an area hospital, where he later died. 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.No injuries were sustained by Secret Service personnel. The President was at the White House during the incident but was not impacted.The incident remains under investigation.”
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News cameras captured the chilling moment gunshots rang out near the White House.
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A large police cordon was put in place(Image: AFP via Getty Images)
Police and security forces swarmed the area around the White House(Image: AFP via Getty Images)
Secret Service agents are seen after a lockdown was lifted(Image: AFP via Getty Images)
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A senior administration official told Chad Pergram of Fox News that around 6pm local time, a gunman “brandished some sort of a pistol” outside the gates on the west side of the White House and fired three shots at the building before US Secret Service officers returned fire and “apparently took the gunman down”.
The gunman’s condition has not yet been made public, and the suspect was taken to a nearby hospital, a law enforcement source told Reuters.
In the exchange of fire, a civilian on the street was shot, Pergram added. That person’s condition also was not yet known.
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ABC News correspondent Selina Wang took to social media to share footage of her first-person experience of the shooting that happened near the White House on Saturday.
In the video, Selina, 33, posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, she was filming a selfie news report for ABC’s social channels, and as she was recording, shots rang out. A man in the background can be heard yelling “no,” as she ducked for cover, with her cellphone falling amid her trying to get to safety.
Paige Ingram
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