Man dead after 'opening fire' at Secret Service outside White House security checkpoint
President Donald Trump was at the White House at the time - but was not 'impacted' by the incident
A man who approached a White House security checkpoint and began firing at officers has died, according to US officials.
The Secret Service said in a statement late on Saturday that, according to a preliminary investigation, the suspect approached a checkpoint shortly after 6pm local time, "removed a weapon from his bag and began firing at posted officers."
Officers returned fire and struck the suspect, who was transported to hospital, where he later died, according to the Secret Service.
A bystander was hit, but a law enforcement official said it remained unclear whether that person was struck by the suspect's initial bullets or those fired subsequently by officers.
The Secret Service said none of its officers were injured, and that President Donald Trump — who was at the White House at the time — was not "impacted."
Journalists based at the White House on Saturday said they heard multiple gunshots and were instructed to take shelter inside the press briefing room. US Secret Service officers prevented them from leaving.
On X, the Secret Service confirmed it was "aware of reports of shots fired near 17th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue NW" — just one block from the White House — and was "working to corroborate the information with personnel on the ground."
In a social media statement, FBI Director Kash Patel said officers were responding to shots fired and pledged to "update the public as we're able." President Donald Trump was inside the White House at the time of the incident.
ABC News senior White House correspondent Selina Wang shared dramatic footage on X capturing the moment she described hearing what "sounded like dozens of gunshots" before diving for cover.
Wang had been carrying out a routine task familiar to reporters at the White House — filming a short mobile phone clip for social media — when the incident unfolded. Her video shows her speaking briefly about Trump's earlier comments on Saturday regarding a potential Iran deal, before the sound of gunfire erupts in the background.
As the shots rang out, Wang's eyes widened and she swiftly took cover inside the media tent — one of several stationed along the White House driveway where broadcasters regularly film their reports.
By Saturday evening, the footage shared by Wang on X had already been viewed at least 3 million times and shared thousands of times across the platform.
The Metropolitan Police Department posted on its X account confirming that the Secret Service was handling the situation, urging members of the public to avoid the surrounding area.
The incident took place close to the very spot where a gunman ambushed two members of the West Virginia National Guard last November.