• Secret Service returns fire; alleged attacker dies in hospital.
• Incident unfolded near 17th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue.
• Officials described suspect as an ’emotionally disturbed person’.

Police and security forces swarmed the White House on Saturday evening after shots were fired near the complex, triggering a lockdown and a major response from the US Secret Service and FBI.

US President Donald Trump was inside the White House at the time, as he continued his diplomatic efforts related to an Iran-related deal, officials said.

Access routes were cordoned off, and National Guard troops blocked entry points in downtown Washington, with journalists and bystanders ordered to move away from the area.

According to a US law enforcement official cited by Reuters, a person approached a checkpoint at 17th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue near the White House and opened fire on officers.

The suspect was later “down” and taken to George Washington Hospital, the official said, adding that the suspect’s condition and the exact circumstances of how he was brought down were not immediately clear.

The suspect later succumbed to his wounds in the hospital, according to US media reports.

The official also said the suspect had been identified as an emotionally disturbed person and had previously been subject to a “stay-away order”.

In a parallel account, Fox News host Bret Baier, citing a senior administration official, said a gunman approached the west side of the White House and fired three shots. 

Secret Service agents returned fire, striking the gunman, and a bystander was also hit in the exchange. He said the gunman did not breach the White House security perimeter.

The FBI said it was supporting the investigation. Director Kash Patel wrote on X: “FBI is on the scene and supporting Secret Service responding to shots fired near White House grounds.”

Witnesses described scenes of panic. Canadian tourist Reid Adrian said he heard what sounded like “probably 20 to 25” shots before people began running.

“It sounded like dozens of gunshots,” said ABC News correspondent Selina Wang, who was filming at the time and captured the moment before diving for cover.

Journalists on the North Lawn were instructed to run and shelter inside the White House press briefing room, according to reporters on site.

A Secret Service spokesperson said the agency was still gathering information as the investigation continued.

Trump assassination attempts

Trump, 79, has been the target of three alleged assassination attempts, the most recent of which took place on April 25 when an armed man stormed a security checkpoint in a hotel where Trump was attending a media gala.

The man never got close to Trump or the other guests attending the event.

In July 2024, Trump was targeted during a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. A gunman fired several shots, killing an audience member and lightly wounding the then-candidate in the ear.

A few months later, another armed man was arrested on a West Palm Beach golf course where Trump was playing a round.

“Thank God President Trump is safe,” House Republicans said on X after the Saturday evening shooting.

“Endless gratitude to the Secret Service for their immediate, heroic response. Political violence has to stop.”