Texas man accused of shooting at Secret Service near Washington Monument

Armed Secret Service agents opened fire on a man near the Washington Monument after he fled from officers and shot toward them in a fast-moving confrontation that briefly locked down the White House and sent the press off the North Lawn.

Authorities identified the suspect as 45-year-old Michael Marx, a Texan with a Texas driver’s license and no obvious connection to Washington. Investigators were still trying to determine why Marx was in the city and whether he had posed any threat to specific people or institutions, including President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance.

The shooting unfolded around 3:30 p.m. Monday near 15th Street and Independence Avenue SW, adjacent to the Washington Monument and outside the perimeter of the White House complex. Secret Service Deputy Director Matt Quinn said plainclothes officers first spotted a man who appeared to have a firearm and followed him briefly before uniformed officers moved in. When the suspect ran on foot and fired at officers, they returned fire and struck him.

Marx was taken to a hospital and remained in serious but stable condition. A juvenile bystander was also hit during the exchange and suffered non-life-threatening injuries. Investigators believe the bystander was struck by Marx, though officials had not said that conclusively. A weapon was recovered at the scene, and the D.C. Metropolitan Police Department was handling the officer-involved shooting investigation.

The confrontation triggered an immediate security response around one of the country’s most visible public spaces. The White House was briefly locked down, road closures went up nearby, and the White House press corps was moved from the North Lawn into the briefing room as the scene stabilized. The incident also drew a large police presence near the National Mall, where visitors and federal workers were suddenly confronted with the realities of an armed encounter in the shadow of the presidency.

Officials said the episode came just over a week after another serious security scare involving a man accused of trying to breach the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner armed with guns and knives. With two high-profile incidents in quick succession, attention is turning again to whether threat detection, perimeter security and behavioral screening are keeping pace around federal landmarks that remain open, crowded and exposed.