Reporters were told to shelter in the press briefing room after hearing what sounded like “dozens” of shots
Gunshots were heard near the White House on Saturday evening, prompting Secret Service officers to clear the North Lawn and order reporters into the press briefing room, according to media reports and journalists at the scene.
NBC News correspondent Julie Tsirkin wrote on X that approximately 20 to 30 shots were heard outside the White House, and that Secret Service officers told those gathered on the North Lawn to run inside.
“USSS officers, gun drawn, told us to run inside,” Tsirkin wrote, adding that the White House was “now on lockdown.”
A Secret Service official told CNN that the agency was investigating reports of shots fired at the corner of 17th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue Northwest, just outside the White House complex.
I was in the middle of taping on my iPhone for a social video from the White House North Lawn when we heard the shots. It sounded like dozens of gunshots. We were told to sprint to the press briefing room where we are holding now. pic.twitter.com/iqdQwh4soq
— Selina Wang (@selinawangtv) May 23, 2026
ABC News correspondent Selina Wang also wrote on X that she was recording a video on the North Lawn when the shots rang out.
“It sounded like dozens of gunshots,” Wang wrote. “We were told to sprint to the press briefing room where we are holding now.”
Outside the press briefing doors right now…
USSS officers, gun drawn, told us to run inside
White House now on lockdown pic.twitter.com/CdgKkKoSZu
— Julie Tsirkin (@news_jul) May 23, 2026
Details of the incident remain unclear. There was no immediate official confirmation of casualties, arrests, or whether the reported gunfire posed any threat to the White House complex.
The incident comes amid heightened security concerns around the White House. Earlier this month, the Secret Service said a man was shot by law enforcement near the Washington Monument after opening fire on officers, briefly prompting heightened security in the area.
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May 24, 2026 at 03:54AM
RT