Secret Service Shoots Suspect Near White House; Bystander Also Critically Wounded
On Saturday, May 23, 2026, U.S. Secret Service officers shot a person near 17th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue NW, one block from the White House, and a bystander was also critically wounded.[1]
Both people were in critical condition, a law enforcement official said.[1] Secret Service and Metropolitan Police cordoned off the scene and marked dozens of evidence locations on the sidewalk.[1] Reporters on the White House grounds said agents shouted "get down" and moved the press into the James S. Brady Press Briefing Room while officers investigated.[2] Fox News and other witnesses reported that as many as 30 shots were heard near the executive mansion.[3]
Hours earlier, President Donald Trump had announced from the Oval Office that his administration was close to finalizing a deal to end the war with Iran, and he was in the White House when the shooting occurred.[3] The episode came after two recent security incidents near the White House: the April 25 attempted assassination at the White House Correspondents' Dinner and a May 4 shooting near the Washington Monument in which a teenage bystander was wounded.[1] The Secret Service posted on X that it was aware of reports of shots near 17th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue NW and was working to corroborate details.[4]
Early accounts focused on possible gunfire and a White House lockdown as reporters sheltered on the grounds.[2] Later reporting identified a Secret Service shooting and the two critically wounded victims, a significant shift from the initial, unconfirmed reports.[1] FBI Director Kash Patel posted that officers were responding to reports of shots fired and that he would update the public as able.[4]
Show source details & analysis (5 sources)
📌 Key Facts
- On Saturday, May 23, 2026, the White House was placed on lockdown after as many as 30 shots were reportedly heard near the executive mansion.
- Journalists on the grounds said Secret Service agents shouted “get down,” moved the press into the James S. Brady Press Briefing Room and kept them sheltered there while officers investigated.
- The Secret Service said it was working to corroborate reports of shots fired near 17th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue NW, about one block from the White House.
- The Secret Service shot a person near 17th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue NW and a bystander was also shot; a law enforcement official said both were in critical condition.
- ABC News correspondent Selina Wang captured video from the White House media tent of a volley she described as “dozens of gunshots,” and her clip was viewed millions of times on X.
- Law enforcement, including the Secret Service and Metropolitan Police, cordoned off the scene and marked dozens of evidence locations on the sidewalk while President Donald Trump was inside the White House.
- Kash Patel, who posted on social media about the response, said officers were responding to reports of shots fired and that he would update the public as able.
- Reports and coverage linked this incident to recent security episodes, including the April 25 attempted assassination at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner and the May 4 Washington Monument shooting.
- Hours before the reported gunfire on May 23, Fox noted President Trump announced from the Oval Office that his administration was close to finalizing a deal to end the war with Iran and that he was in the White House at the time.
📰 Source Timeline (5)
Follow how coverage of this story developed over time
- On Saturday, May 23, 2026, the U.S. Secret Service shot a person near 17th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue NW, one block from the White House, and a bystander was also shot; both are in critical condition per a law enforcement official.
- NPR reports the wounded bystander as a distinct second victim, a detail not specified in earlier coverage that only referred to gunfire and possible shots near the White House.
- The article confirms President Donald Trump was inside the White House at the time and describes Secret Service and Metropolitan Police cordoning off the scene and marking dozens of evidence locations on the sidewalk.
- ABC News correspondent Selina Wang captured video from the White House media tent in which a volley of what she described as “dozens of gunshots” is heard as she films, and her clip has been viewed at least 3 million times on X as of Saturday evening.
- The piece reiterates that journalists on the grounds were ordered to shelter in the James S. Brady Press Briefing Room while the Secret Service investigated, and that FBI Director Kash Patel said on X that officers were responding to shots fired and would update the public.
- The report explicitly links this shooting to two recent security incidents near the White House: the April 25 attempted assassination of President Trump at the White House Correspondents' Dinner and the May 4 Washington Monument shooting in which a teenage bystander was wounded.
- On Saturday, May 23, 2026, around 7:20 p.m. EDT, journalists at the White House reported hearing a series of gunshots and were told to shelter inside the James S. Brady Press Briefing Room while Secret Service officers prevented them from leaving.
- 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 said it was working to corroborate the information with personnel on the ground.
- FBI Director Kash Patel posted on social media that officers were responding to reports of shots fired and said he would update the public as able.
- The article reiterates that President Donald Trump was inside the White House at the time of the reported gunfire and that there were no immediate reports of injuries or details on circumstances.
- The piece situates the incident in a pattern of recent threats, noting it comes nearly a month after the April 25 attempted assassination of President Trump at the White House Correspondents' Dinner and a May 4 shooting near the Washington Monument in which a teenage bystander was wounded.
- CBS News reported on Saturday, May 23, 2026, that several possible gunshots were heard from the White House property.
- CBS correspondent Aaron Navarro said Secret Service agents immediately told him to get down as the shots were heard.
- The CBS piece confirms at least one press witness account of the incident from inside the White House complex and characterizes the sounds as "several shots."
- Fox News reports that on Saturday, May 23, 2026, the White House was placed on lockdown after as many as 30 shots were reportedly heard near the executive mansion.
- Correspondents on scene reported hearing multiple shots near the Eisenhower Executive Office Building and said Secret Service agents shouted at reporters to "get down" before moving press into the James S. Brady Press Briefing Room.
- Fox describes agents on the White House grounds with weapons drawn following the reported gunfire.
- The article notes that hours before the reported shots, President Donald Trump announced from the Oval Office that his administration was close to finalizing a deal to end the war with Iran, and stated he was in the White House at that time.