The US Secret Service announced that an individual was shot near the White House on Monday.

The White House was put on lockdown briefly after reports that there were gunshots near the complex.

‘U.S. Secret Service personnel are on the scene of an officer-involved shooting at 15th Street and Independence Avenue in Washington, D.C.,’ said a spokesperson for the agency.

‘The incident resulted from a confrontation between an armed individual and Secret Service Police,’ another statement from the Secret Service said. 

A reporter with ABC7 in Washington said the adult male who was shot was ‘conscious and breathing’ at the hospital.

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

Despite the distance, the US Secret Service briefly evacuated members of the White House press corps from the North Lawn and into the media briefing room before an ‘all clear’ was given.

The terrifying security event occurred just before Donald Trump made remarks in the East Room during a small business summit. 

The White House was put on lockdown after reports that there were gunshots near the complex

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

Law enforcement tapped off an area just south of the White House grounds on Monday afternoon after a Secret Service agent shot an individual

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

‘Washington, DC is now one of the safest cities in the United States,’ he stated during the security event.

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

However, it appears that the shooting may have roiled the President’s schedule, as he did not take the podium until nearly 45 minutes after it was set to begin.

Shortly after the shooting occurred, Secret Service agents cleared journalists from the White House’s North Lawn to shelter them inside the White House Press Briefing Room. 

Trump did not take any questions about the incident when leaving the event. 

Washington, DC’s Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) said in a statement that local roads would be closed as law enforcement investigates. 

‘MPD is on scene of this investigation at 15th Street and Independence Ave, SW. The scene is secure. Avoid the area as roads will be closed for several hours. Additional updates to come as information is confirmed,’ the department said. 

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

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

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

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

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

He snuck through an internal hotel stairwell with a shotgun, handgun and multiple knives before rushing through a Secret Service checkpoint, prosecutors have said. 

A preliminary hearing for Allen is schedule for May 11.