Armed man shot near Washington Monument, Secret Service says

The White House was briefly placed on lockdown Monday afternoon after U.S. Secret Service agents exchanged gunfire with an armed suspect. Shortly after 3:30 p.m., plainclothes Secret Service agents patrolling the outer perimeter of the White House compound spotted a suspicious man with a firearm, according to Deputy Director of the U.S. Secret Service Matthew Quinn. As uniformed Secret Service agents approached the man near the corner of 15th Street and Independence Avenue, Quinn said the suspect opened fire. The agents returned fire and the suspect was shot, Quinn said. The suspect was hospitalized and there was no further word on his condition.

Was anyone else injured? Quinn said a juvenile was in the area at the time of the incident and was also shot. That juvenile was taken to the hospital with injuries that are not believed to be life-threatening. Quinn initially told reporters the suspect was the one who shot the juvenile. When pressed about the possibility that a Secret Service agent may have shot the juvenile accidentally, Quinn said a doctor would have to make the final determination, but all of the initial evidence pointed to the suspect.

What was the suspect's motive? Quinn said it was too early to determine if this incident had any connection to previous attempts on the life of President Donald Trump. He said Vice President J.D. Vance's motorcade drove through the area shortly before the incident occurred.