Secret Service Says Gunfire Reported Near White House Overnight

No suspect was found after a thorough search of the area, according to the U.S. Secret Service.

The statue of U.S. President Andrew Jackson on his horse in the center of Lafayette Park is silhouetted against the White House in front of the Washington Monument in Washington on Nov. 17, 2013. Jim Bourg/Reuters

The U.S. Secret Service said its officers responded to reports of overnight gunfire near Lafayette Square, just north of the White House, shortly after midnight on April 5.

It stated that officers carried out a thorough search of the park and the surrounding area but did not locate any suspect. No injuries were reported from the incident, according to the agency. Operations at the White House remain normal, it added.

President Donald Trump was at the White House over the weekend. White House communications director Steven Cheung wrote on X that the president “has been working nonstop in the White House and Oval Office” during the Easter weekend.

The White House did not respond to a request for comment by publication time.

The agency said it is looking for a possible vehicle and a person of interest in relation to the shooting. The Secret Service is coordinating with the Metropolitan Police Department and U.S. Park Police in the investigation.

“Our investigation is active. While operations at the White House remain normal, a heightened security posture is in place,” the Secret Service said in a statement posted on social media.

Secret Service spokesman Anthony Guglielmi said the roads to the area were shut during the initial investigation but have since been reopened. He urged anyone with information to contact the police department.

The Secret Service, which is responsible for protecting the president and securing the White House complex, routinely deploys temporary and permanent barriers to prevent unauthorized vehicles from approaching sensitive areas.

Security measures at the White House have been tightened in recent years after multiple incidents of barrier breaches.

On March 11, a driver was arrested after crashing into a temporary security barrier near the White House. The Secret Service said the vehicle struck the barrier near Madison and H Streets NW, and no injuries were reported.

In another incident in October 2025, authorities arrested a driver after a vehicle crashed into a security gate along the southwest perimeter of the White House near 17th and E Streets NW. At the time, officials said the driver was taken into custody following the crash while officers secured the area and investigated the incident.

In May 2024, a fatal crash occurred near the White House complex when a vehicle collided with an outer perimeter gate on the White House complex near the intersection of 15th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue NW. The unidentified male driver was pronounced dead at the scene.

The Secret Service later concluded that the crash did not pose a threat to the presidential residence. Authorities said at the time that the incident was being investigated as a traffic crash.

Meanwhile, Lafayette Square, also known as Lafayette Park, is a historical site for protests—including most recently the George Floyd protests in 2020. Trump, after returning to office in 2025, also ordered the removal of the long-standing anti-war peace vigil in the park as part of efforts to clear all homeless encampments in the capital city.

Tom Ozimek contributed to this report.