Secret Service shoots, critically injures man near White House

Secret Service were forced to shoot a man caught brandishing a gun near the White House. Photo / 123RF

• US Secret Service personnel shot an Indiana man near the White House after he brandished a gun.
• A Secret Service spokesman said multiple agents fired weapons; the man is in a critical condition after surgery.
• Washington DC police received a tip about the armed man; they will lead the investigation into the shooting.

Secret Service personnel shot and critically wounded an Indiana man near the White House complex, alleging that he brandished a gun after having driven to Washington DC in hopes of sparking a confrontation with police.

Anthony Guglielmi, a Secret Service spokesman, said uniformed officers and agents, who are assigned to protective details, were involved in the confrontation. He said multiple agents fired weapons.

A Secret Service vehicle in 2023. Photo / Craig Hudson, for the Washington Post

The incident occurred shortly after midnight local time near 17th and G streets NW, less than one block from Pennsylvania Avenue and near the executive office building.

The injured man’s identity and age were not immediately made public. Authorities said today NZT that he underwent surgery at a hospital and was in a critical condition.

Guglielmi said the department had earlier received a tip-off from police warning law enforcement agencies that an armed man was reported to be travelling from Indiana to the city to confront police in hopes they would shoot him.

Guglielmi said Secret Service officers spotted a vehicle that fitted the description parked near 17th and F streets and then saw the man at 17th and G streets.

The spokesman said the man brandished a firearm and was shot. No injuries to Secret Service personnel were reported. DC police, who investigate all deaths in the city, will lead the probe into the shooting.

Authorities said they do not believe there was a threat to the White House or to the President.