WASHINGTON (AP) — A man spotted carrying a gun in the vicinity of the White House by plainclothes officers and agents was shot by law enforcement Monday after he opened fire on them near the Washington Monument, the Secret Service said.
Secret Service Deputy Director Matt Quinn said plainclothes agents spotted the man around 3:30 p.m. in the area near the White House complex and saw the imprint of the weapon on him. The agents followed him briefly and contacted the uniformed officers.
The unidentified man attempted to flee when uniformed officers with the Secret Service approached him. Quinn said the man fired at the officers, who returned fire.
The alleged gunman was transported to a local hospital. Quinn said he had no information on the suspect's condition.
Quinn said emergency personnel also transported a minor who was shot but not seriously injured. Quinn said he could not say definitively that the bystander, who also was taken to a hospital, was struck by shots from the suspect's gun. “We’ll let the doctors figure that out,” he said, though he noted that “investigators believe he was struck by the suspect.”
Quinn said the Washington, D.C., police would investigate the officer-involved shooting.
The Secret Service encouraged people to avoid the area as emergency crews responded to the shooting not far from the White House, where President Donald Trump was holding a small business event.
The White House was briefly locked down as authorities investigated the incident. The Secret Service ushered journalists who were outside into the briefing room, and Trump continued his event without interruption.
The incident drew a large police presence, coming just over a week after a gunman tried to storm the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner with guns and knives. Cole Tomas Allen has been charged in that incident, in which a Secret Service officer was shot, although he was wearing body armor and was not seriously injured.
Quinn said it was not known yet whether the Monday incident was related to Trump. “I’m not going to guess on that,” Quinn said. “Whether or not it was directed to the president or not, I don’t know, but we will find out.”
Police respond after a person was shot by law enforcement near the Washington Monument in Washington, Monday, May 4,, 2026. (AP Photo/Rod Lamkey Jr.)
A member of the forensics team walks near the scene after a person was shot by law enforcement near the Washington Monument in Washington, Monday, May 4,, 2026. (AP Photo/Rod Lamkey Jr.)
Demonstrators march as they rally at the National Mall during a May Day protest Friday, May 1, 2026, in Washington. The Washington Monument is in the background, (AP Photo/Rahmat Gul)
EDMONTON, Alberta (AP) — Alberta separatists said Monday they have formally submitted almost 302,000 signatures to try to trigger a referendum on the province leaving Canada.
The group needed 178,000 signatures to force the province to consider such a vote.
The question of separation could go on a provincewide ballot as early as October, as Alberta Premier Danielle Smith has said she would move forward if enough names are gathered and verified. Smith has said she personally does not support the oil-rich province leaving Canada.
A yes vote would not trigger independence automatically. Negotiations with the federal government would have to take place and Daniel Béland, a political science professor at McGill University in Montreal, said some Indigenous groups who are already using the courts to prevent an independence referendum would use venues including the courts to stop independence from happening.
Mitch Sylvestre, the head of Stay Free Alberta, arrived at the Elections Alberta office in Edmonton on Monday leading a convoy of seven trucks to deliver the names.
“This day is historic in Alberta history,” Sylvestre said. “It’s the first step to the next step — we’ve gotten by Round 3 and now we’re in the Stanley Cup final.”
He said most papers were handled five times to verify the signatures.
More than 300 supporters gathered, waving the provincial flag and chanting “Alberta strong.”
However, the petition could face another hurdle this week as an Edmonton, Alberta judge is expected to rule on a court challenge launched by a group of Alberta First Nations who say Alberta separation would violate treaty rights.
Smith has accused previous federal Liberal governments of introducing legislation that hamstrings Alberta’s ability to produce and export oil, which she said has cost the province billions of dollars. She also said she doesn’t want the federal government meddling in provincial issues.
Prime Minister Mark Carney's federal government did not immediately respond to the development.
Béland, the political science professor at McGill, said a referendum is likely to lose.
“Right now, support for independence in Alberta is rather low. Less than 30% and much lower if we only focus on hard core supporters. And the odds of a victory of the pro-independence camp appear to be low at this stage," he said.
Béland also said considering recent news of a large data breach involving an Alberta separatist group, the formal verification process is especially crucial to make sure the signatures are authentic.
“Mark Carney is indeed popular, even in Alberta. The push for independence by some Albertans predates his prime ministership and it’s related to economic, fiscal, and political grievances about the seemingly unfair treatment of Alberta by the federal government," he said. “These concerns increased during the Justin Trudeau years but they have peaked and even declined since he left office.”
Associated Press writer Rob Gillies in Toronto contributed to this report.
Mitch Sylvestre talks with supporters before he submits his signatures for a separation referendum to Elections Alberta in Edmonton, on Monday, May 4, 2026. (Jason Franson/The Canadian Press via AP)
Supporters fly flags in support of Mitch Sylvestre as he submits his signatures for a separation referendum to Elections Alberta in Edmonton, on Monday, May 4, 2026. (Jason Franson/The Canadian Press via AP)
Supporters fly flags in support of Mitch Sylvestre as he submits his signatures for a separation referendum to Elections Alberta in Edmonton, on Monday, May 4, 2026. (Jason Franson/The Canadian Press via AP)
Supporters carry boxes of signatures to submit for a separation referendum to Elections Alberta in Edmonton, on Monday, May 4, 2026. (Jason Franson/The Canadian Press via AP)
Supporters carry boxes of signatures to submit for a separation referendum to Elections Alberta in Edmonton, on Monday, May 4, 2026. (Jason Franson/The Canadian Press via AP)
