The White House was put on lockdown after a shooting happened close to the Washington Monument. A person who looked suspicious was found on Monday evening, and after shooting at Secret Service agents, the suspect was neutralized
According to Deputy Director Mathew C. Quinn, the incident happened just a few minutes after Vice President JD Vance had left the area.
At the time, the Secret Service said: “U.S. Secret Service personnel are on the scene of an officer-involved shooting at 15th Street and Independence Avenue in Washington, D.C.”
“The incident resulted from a confrontation between an armed individual and Secret Service Police,” another statement from the Secret Service said.
A young person was hit in the incident and was taken to the hospital, and is not suffering life-threatening injuries.
The incident happened on the National Mall, which is about a mile from the White House. Even though it was far away, the White House was momentarily evacuated before the “all clear” was announced.
The Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) in Washington, DC, announced in a statement that they are looking into the matter.
“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 incident comes just over a week after an alleged gunman, Cole Tomas Allen, attempted to storm the White House Correspondents’ Dinner with Trump in attendance.
Allen made his initial appearance in federal court late last week, where he was formally advised of the charges filed by prosecutors. Cole Allen, 31, of Torrance, California, is accused of entering the Washington Hilton while armed with multiple weapons and attempting to reach the ballroom where President Trump was attending the dinner alongside Cabinet officials and journalists Saturday night.
“He attempted to assassinate the president of the United States, Donald J. Trump,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Jocelyn Ballantine told the court. “We are asking the court to preventatively detain Mr. Allen.”
“Cole Allen’s journey of accountability in the criminal justice system starts today,” U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro said in a press conference Monday afternoon, adding, “There will be additional charges as this investigation continues to unfold.”
“But make no mistake, this was an attempted assassination of the President of the United States, with the defendant making clear what his intent was,” Pirro continued. “And that intent was to bring down as many of the high ranking Cabinet officials as he could. This is the kind of situation that we cannot tolerate.”
Allen booked a three-night stay at the Washington Hilton from Friday through Sunday, according to a newly unsealed probable cause affidavit.
The affidavit states that Allen traveled by train from the Los Angeles area to Chicago last Tuesday, arriving there on Thursday. He then boarded another train that reached Washington on Friday at approximately 1 p.m.
Roughly two hours later, around 3 p.m., he checked into a “specific hotel room” at the Hilton and remained there overnight, according to court documents reviewed by NBC News.
When he was arrested, the newly unsealed probable cause affidavit revealed that he was in possession of a 12-gauge pump-action shotgun and a Rock Island Armory 1911 .38-caliber pistol.
According to firearm transaction records reviewed by law enforcement, he purchased the shotgun from a dealer in California around August 17, 2025. He acquired the pistol from a dealer in a different city in California on October 6, 2023, NBC News noted.
Shortly before the alleged attack, authorities said Allen sent a written manifesto to members of his family describing an intent to target President Donald Trump and other Cabinet officials.
In his manifesto, Allen sharply criticized Trump, falsely accusing him of being a “rapist” and “pedophile,” while also announcing he wanted to target several members of the president’s administration.
He also apologized to his parents, friends, and students for his actions but indicated he felt he had some moral obligation to act.
