A man who fired at a White House checkpoint was shot by officers and died after being taken to the hospital on Saturday evening, May 23, the Secret Service said.
According to a Secret Service statement sent to Reuters, the man approached the checkpoint at 17th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue near the White House, pulled a gun out of his bag, and started shooting at officers. Security personnel returned fire and shot the suspect, the agency said.
A bystander was struck by gunfire during the incident, but the initial statement did not make clear how badly the person was hurt. Another Secret Service statement, cited by multiple news outlets, noted that it was not clear whether the bystander was hit when the gunman began shooting or during the subsequent exchange of gunfire.
The shooting suspect was identified as an emotionally disturbed person, a law enforcement official told Reuters, adding that a “stay-away order” had been issued to him previously. No law enforcement personnel were injured in the altercation, and the Secret Service confirmed that President Donald Trump was at the White House during the incident.
The high-stakes shooting comes nearly a month after a separate security breach where a gunman fired shots inside the hotel hosting the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner, prompting Trump and other officials to be rushed out of the venue.
