The United States Secret Service shot an armed individual near the White House early Sunday morning after being notified by law enforcement officials that the man was “suicidal.”
In a Sunday press release, Secret Service Uniformed Division Chief Michael A. Buck said, “On Sunday, March 9, an adult male was shot by U.S. Secret Service personnel following an armed confrontation with law enforcement in Washington DC.”
According to Buck, local police officials provided the Secret Service with information on Saturday regarding a “suicidal individual” who was believed to be traveling from Indiana to Washington, D.C.
“Around midnight, members of the Secret Service encountered the individual’s parked vehicle near 17th and F Streets, NW. They also saw an individual on foot matching the description nearby,” Buck added. “As officers approached, the individual brandished a firearm and an armed confrontation ensued, during which shots were fired by our personnel.”
In Sunday’s press release, Buck explained that the armed man was transported to a local hospital following the incident. While the man’s condition was listed as “unknown,” Buck confirmed that no Secret Service agents were injured in the armed confrontation.
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According to Fox News, police sources identified the armed suspect involved in Sunday’s incident near the Eisenhower Executive Office Building as 27-year-old Andrew Dawson, who is from Indiana. The outlet noted that President Donald Trump’s schedule indicated that he was not in the White House at the time of the incident. Officials also confirmed that the suspect was armed with both a gun and a knife when he was confronted by Secret Service agents on Sunday.
Fox News reported that prior to Sunday’s incident near the White House, Indiana police officials notified law enforcement officials in Washington, D.C., that Dawson was “suicidal” and was traveling to the D.C. area. Intelligence bulletins obtained by the outlet also suggested that Dawson intended to commit “suicide by cop.”
According to the Secret Service’s press release, Sunday’s incident is currently under investigation by the Metropolitan Police Department Internal Affairs Division’s Force Investigations Team, which is responsible for investigating any use-of-force incidents involving law enforcement officers in the District of Columbia.
Pictures shared by The New York Post on X, formerly Twitter, show law enforcement officials at the scene of Sunday’s incident as well as the car linked with the Indiana man involved in Sunday’s armed confrontation with the Secret Service.
