Key insights
- A shooting near the White House led to a brief lockdown. While the incident itself is contained, it introduces a degree of uncertainty and nervousness into the market, potentially triggering a mild, short-lived negative reaction. The event highlights potential security vulnerabilities.
Investing.com -- A man was shot and killed by U.S. Secret Service agents near the White House on Saturday after opening fire with a handgun, according to a person familiar with the matter, as authorities provided fresh details following earlier reports of gunfire near the North Lawn.
The incident prompted an immediate lockdown of the White House complex after a sustained volley of gunshots was reported just after 6:00 p.m. Eastern Time near the Eisenhower Executive Office Building, according to CBS News, Bloomberg, and Axios.
The suspect had been pacing along the street before approaching a Secret Service police checkpoint near 17th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue, pulling a pistol from a bag and firing indiscriminately, the person said.
Secret Service officers returned fire, striking the suspect, who was transported to a nearby hospital where he later died, according to a Bloomberg report.
White House correspondent Selina Wang published social media footage capturing the audible gunfire, which forced media crews to take immediate cover before U.S. Secret Service personnel ushered journalists into the secure press briefing room.
Reporters were also moved inside the White House as the grounds were secured.
Law enforcement sources had earlier confirmed that agents returned fire after being targeted, with two individuals, including the suspect and a possible bystander, sustaining gunshot wounds.
The condition of the bystander was not immediately clear, and authorities said it remains uncertain whether the individual was struck by the suspect’s gunfire or during the exchange.
Federal authorities confirmed that President Donald Trump was inside the executive mansion at the time of the shooting and was the only Secret Service protectee on site, according to the person familiar with the matter.
Secret Service Spokesperson Anthony Guglielmi stated the agency is actively analyzing the perimeter around 17th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue NW, while FBI Director Kash Patel confirmed that federal agents are on the scene assisting investigators.
The suspect was previously known to the Secret Service, having been arrested in July 2025 for unlawful entry after walking into a restricted pedestrian checkpoint, according to court records.
He had also been involuntarily committed in June 2025 after obstructing a vehicle entrance to the White House complex.
The security breach follows an armed confrontation last month outside the venue of the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, underscoring persistent threats to administrative personnel.
This is a developing story.