A police officer uses binoculars on the roof of a building at the White House in Washington, DC, after shots were reportedly fired on Saturday. Police and security forces swarmed the area around the White House that evening. BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP
WASHINGTON — A gunman opened fire near the White House on Saturday evening, with US Secret Service agents killing the assailant in a shoot-out during which a bystander was also struck, authorities said.
The gunshots prompted a lockdown at the White House. A bystander was struck by gunfire and was reportedly in critical condition.
The law enforcement agency said in a statement posted on X that the man was in the area of 17th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue when he "pulled a weapon from his bag" and began firing. Secret Service officers returned fire and hit the suspect, who died at a hospital, the agency said.
A bystander was also struck on Saturday, but a law enforcement official said it wasn't clear whether that person was hit by the suspect's initial bullets or those fired subsequently by officers.
