Secret Service officer shoots armed suspect near White House

By Susan Crabtree
Real Clear Wire

At least one Secret Service Uniformed Division officer shot and apprehended an armed man near the Washington Monument on Monday afternoon before President Trump’s press conference, according to two sources in the Secret Service community.

The suspect is now at George Washington Hospital, the sources said. It’s unclear if the man was wounded in the shooting or whether he shot at the Secret Service officers, the agency said. No Uniformed Division officers were short or hurt.

In the 3 p.m. hour on Monday, Secret Service patrols spotted an individual who appeared to have a gun. Patrol officers located and confronted him, and the encounter “went sideways,” and a Uniformed Division officer fired on him, a knowledgeable source told RealClearPolitics.

The Secret Service has recovered the suspect’s firearm.

The agency issued a statement acknowledging that the U.S. Secret Service personnel were on the scene of an “officer-involved shooting at 15th Street and Independence Avenue in Washington, D.C.”

“One individual was shot by law enforcement; their condition is currently unknown,” the Secret Service said. “Please avoid the area as emergency crews are responding.”

Susan Crabtree is RealClearPolitics' national political correspondent.