The Secret Service says an individual shot near the White House caused a lockdown during a live Trump speech

The US Secret Service announced on Monday that a person had been shot near the White House.

The White House was briefly placed on lockdown after reports of gunfire near the complex.

“U.S. Secret Service personnel are at the scene of an officer-involved shooting at 15th Street and Independence Avenue in Washington, DC,” an agency spokesperson said.

“The incident resulted from a confrontation between an armed individual and Secret Service police,” another Secret Service statement said.

Later at a news conference, Secret Service Deputy Director Matthew Quinn noted that agents first identified the suspect after noticing “a visual imprint of a firearm.” When approached by uniformed officers, the suspect attempted to run away while opening fire on the officers.

A young bystander was hit in the crossfire, Quinn said.

A reporter for ABC7 in Washington said the adult man who was shot was “conscious and breathing” at the hospital.

The location of the shooting is across from the National Mall, about a mile from the White House.

The White House was placed on lockdown after reports of gunfire near the complex

The location of the shooting is across from the National Mall, about a mile from the White House

Law enforcement officers staked out an area just south of the White House grounds Monday afternoon after a Secret Service agent shot a person

Despite the distance, the U.S. Secret Service briefly evacuated members of the White House press corps from the North Lawn and to the media briefing room before the “all clear” was given.

The terrifying security event took place just before Donald Trump delivered remarks in the East Room during a small business summit.

He touted his directive last year to send the National Guard to the nation’s capital, making the city much safer than under Joe Biden.

“Washington, DC is now one of the safest cities in the United States,” he stated at the security event.

Trump did not address the Secret Service shooting during the event.

However, it appears that the shooting threw the president’s schedule into disarray, as he did not take the stage until nearly 45 minutes after the shooting was supposed to begin.

Shortly after the shooting occurred, Secret Service agents removed journalists from the North Lawn of the White House to shelter them in the White House Press Briefing Room.

Trump did not answer questions about the incident as he left the event.

The Washington, DC Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) said in a statement that local roads would be closed while police investigate.

A law enforcement officer stands guard at the scene of an officer-involved shooting in Washington, DC, on May 4, 2026

Cole Thomas Allen, the man accused of killing Trump at the site of the White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner on April 25, 2026, took this photo shortly before trying to run into the dinner

“MPD is on scene for this investigation at 15th Street and Independence Ave, SW. The scene is safe. Avoid the area as the roads will be closed for several hours. Additional updates will follow as information is confirmed,” the department said.

The shooting comes just over a week after an alleged gunman, Cole Tomas Allen, attempted to storm the White House Correspondents’ Dinner with Trump and Melania in attendance.

Allen was charged with attempted murder of the president and two weapons charges. He has not yet entered a plea.

He was able to evade detection by checking into the hotel where the dinner was being hosted the day before the event.

He sneaked through an internal hotel stairwell with a shotgun, a handgun and multiple knives before speeding through a Secret Service checkpoint, prosecutors say.

A preliminary hearing for Allen is scheduled for May 11.