The White House was placed under a brief lockdown on Monday afternoon after Secret Service officers shot a man near the Washington Monument, triggering a security response across a stretch of the National Mall just blocks from the executive mansion.
A man was wounded by the US Secret Service after allegedly firing at officers near the Washington Monument on Monday afternoon. The Metropolitan Police Department confirmed the man was conscious and was taken to hospital.
The incident occurred near the intersection of 15th Street SW and Independence Avenue. Investigators did not immediately say what triggered the confrontation.
The altercation occurred shortly after Vice President J.D. Vance passed by in a motorcade, according to a Secret Service official. The person was shot at approximately 3:30 p.m.
The Secret Service ushered journalists who were outside the White House into the briefing room, and President Trump, who was holding a small business event at the time, continued without interruption. The lockdown was lifted after authorities determined there was no ongoing threat to the complex.
The incident drew a large police presence and came just over a week after a gunman attempted to storm the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner. Cole Tomas Allen has been charged in that attack, in which a Secret Service officer was shot but was protected by body armour and was not seriously injured.
Washington, D.C. police confirmed they would investigate the officer-involved shooting. The Secret Service urged the public to avoid the surrounding area as emergency crews continued their response.
