Shooting Near Washington Monument Leads to White House Lockdown

The White House was briefly put under lockdown on Monday after a man opened fire near the Washington Monument, leading to a tense situation just outside the heavily guarded area. According to the Secret Service , plainclothes officers spotted the man around 3:30 pm and noticed the imprint of a firearm on him, raising immediate suspicion. The timing raised some concern, as Vice President JD Vance ’s motorcade had passed through the area not long before the shooting. Officials, however, said there is no indication that the suspect was targeting the motorcade or the White House. Secret Service Deputy Director Matt Quinn said those officers followed the man for a short time and then alerted uniformed officers. When officers approached him, he tried to run. “The man attempted to flee,” Quinn said. Moments later, things turned serious. “The man fired at the officers,” he added. Officers returned fire, and the man was shot. At the time of the shooting, President Donald Trump was inside the White House attending a small business event. Journalists who were outside were rushed into the briefing room as a precaution. Despite the situation, Trump continued his event without stopping. The man was taken to a hospital, but there is no word yet on his condition. A minor was also shot during the incident, though the injuries were not serious. “We believe only one bystander was hit by the suspect,” Quinn said, adding that the injuries were not life-threatening and the juvenile is being treated in the hospital. There is still some confusion about how exactly the child was hit. Quinn said he could not confirm if the minor was struck by the suspect’s gunfire. “We’ll let the doctors figure that out,” he said, adding that “investigators believe he was struck by the suspect.” The area saw a large number of police and emergency personnel soon after the shooting. People were asked to stay away while the scene was secured. Quinn also said it is not yet clear if the incident had anything to do with the president. “I’m not going to guess on that,” he said. “Whether or not it was directed to the president or not, I don’t know, but we will find out.” This comes just over a week after another troubling incident in Washington, when a man tried to enter an event linked to the White House Correspondents’ Association carrying guns and knives. The suspect in that case, Cole Tomas Allen, has been charged. A Secret Service officer was shot during that incident, but was not seriously hurt because he was wearing body armour.