The White House lawn and presidential residence itself was locked down after dozens of apparent gunshots rang out near the area, as reported by multiple publications and captured in video footage. The incident occurred around 6 p.m. ET.
FBI director Kash Patel tweeted that federal authorities are on the scene “supporting Secret Service responding to shots fired near White House grounds” and that updates will be provided as soon as possible.
“We are aware of reports of shots fired near 17th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue NW and are working to corroborate the information with personnel on the ground,” read a tweet from the U.S. Secret Service Office of Communications. “Additional information will be provided as it becomes available.”
The area of the shooting is outside the west side of the White House complex, but the West Wing is blocked from view by the Eisenhower Executive Office Building.
Numerous journalists were already present as part of a press pool, as president Donald Trump had just hours earlier posted on social media from the Oval Office that a peace agreement to end the war in Iran was “largely negotiated.”
Upward of 20 to 30 shots were fired, according to NBC News correspondent Julie Tsirkin. “Secret service told those of us gathered on the north lawn to run inside the press briefing room,” she wrote.
Meanwhile, ABC News correspondent Selena Wang posted that she had been in the middle of taping a social video when she and her crew were interrupted by the noise of gunfire, immediately ducking down.
“We were told to sprint to the press briefing room where we are holding now,” she said.
Secret Service agents were spotted on the grounds with their weapons drawn, telling reporters to “get down” before being ushered into the West Wing press briefing room, per Fox News. The outlet also said correspondents overheard shots near the Eisenhower Executive Office Building.
According to CNN, the lockdown was lifted after 45 minutes. However, two people were shot in an encounter with the Secret Service, per a law enforcement official, though it is unclear what condition they are in. Cable news networks turned to coverage of the incident throughout the evening.
The shooting comes less than a month after gunshots rang out amid the White House Correspondents Dinner. Trump, First Lady Melania Trump and VP JD Vance were among those hustled out of the Washington Hilton ballroom under orders from the Secret Service. The fast-moving scene was captured live on C-SPAN cameras.
Deadline’s Ted Johnson, who was inside, said, “I heard what sounded like four shots, and it seemed to come from the hall just outside the ballroom near my table.”
The suspect in the April 25 shooting, Cole Tomas Allen, recently plead not guilty after being charged with attempting to assassinate the POTUS. Allen was also charged with discharging a firearm during a violent crime and transportation of a firearm and ammunition in interstate commerce.
On May 4, a man opened fire on Secret Service agents as they were pursuing him at 15th Street and Independence Avenue, a couple of blocks from the White House but along the route of Vice President JD Vance’s motorcade, authorities said. The armed man was shot in the hand, left and and upper abdomen.
A civilian witness was wounded in the leg. The man, Michael Marx, of Midland, TX, was charged with assaulting federal officers with a dangerous weapon, using and discharging a firearm during a crime of violence and unlawful possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
Security at the White House itself has been an ongoing concern for decades, with greater barriers put in place for access amid various incidents. A higher fence was installed around the perimeter following security breaches that included a 2014 incident in which a man climbed over the fence and gained entry into the Executive Mansion.
The north side of the White House on Pennsylvania Avenue was closed off to vehicle traffic in 1995, over concerns of a car or truck bomb. But lately access has been restricted to pedestrians, too, as the plaza just in front of the White House fence has been partially taken up by construction equipment for the construction of the new East Wing ballroom. Lafayette Park also has been sealed off for construction activity there.
Ted Johnson contributed to this report.
