Secret Service investigating reported gunfire, with Al Jazeera correspondent saying more than 30 shots heard from North Lawn. Published On 23 May 202623 May 2026A man has been shot dead by Secret Service officers after opening fire on a security checkpoint near the White House, with a bystander also wounded in the gunfire.Shortly after 6pm on Saturday, the suspect approached a Secret Service checkpoint at the intersection of 17th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington, DC, pulled a weapon from his bag and began shooting at officers posted there.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemsend of listThe Secret Service, the federal agency responsible for protecting the president, confirmed the sequence of events in an official statement, saying a preliminary investigation indicated the suspect had concealed his weapon in a bag before drawing it at the checkpoint.The agents returned fire, striking the man, who was later pronounced dead at a nearby hospital.A bystander was also hit during the shooting, though authorities said it remained unclear whether they were struck by the suspect’s initial gunfire or during the exchange that followed.US President Donald Trump was inside the White House at the time and was not harmed. The White House was immediately placed under lockdown.No Secret Service personnel were injured.House Republicans posted on X to confirm Trump was safe, while the White House itself issued no immediate statement on the president’s condition.Steve Scalise, the Republican House Majority Leader, posted on X, expressing his thoughts for the president and adding: “We live in dangerous times.”More than 30 shots were heard from the White House North Lawn, according to Al Jazeera’s Kimberly Halkett, reporting from the scene. Advertisement Journalists on the lawn were ordered to run and take shelter inside the press brief …
