The suspect accused of exchanging gunfire with the U.S. Secret Service near the White House on Monday has now been identified as a Texas man who said “F the White House” while en route to the hospital.
U.S. Attorney for D.C. Jeanine Pirro says the alleged gunman is Michael Marx, 45, as she told ABC News: “One of the things that he said on the way to the hospital was ‘F the White House’ and ‘Kill me, kill me, kill me’ three times. But he was very clear, ‘F the White House.'”
“The complaint is being drawn right now, Pirro added. “He is charged and will be charged with an assault on a federal officer and discharging a firearm during a crime of violence.”
The suspect who opened fire on Secret Service agents near the National Mall has been identified as 45-year-old Michael Marx, who holds a Texas driver’s license. Investigators have executed search warrants on his phone and devices. @PierreTABC reports. https://t.co/DJxr4l64yb pic.twitter.com/cMPgKgURtz
— World News Tonight (@ABCWorldNews) May 6, 2026
Sources say officials are executing search warrants on Marx’s phone and digital media to assess whether he posed a threat to individuals including President Donald trump and Vice President JD Vance. Trump was inside the White House for a Small Business Summit at the time of the shooting, and Vance’s motorcade had passed through the area shortly before the mayhem erupted.
“He starts running, and as he’s running, he pulls a gun and starts shooting at the Secret Service,” Pirro told ABC. “They return fire, and it turns out that this defendant, Michael Marx, shoots at the Secret Service. He gets shot a few times.”
NEW DETAILS: Two law enforcement officials identified the suspect as 45-year-old Michael Marx, who holds a Texas driver’s license. He remained hospitalized Tuesday with multiple gunshot wounds, including to his back and leg. https://t.co/RA3KP4XQZh pic.twitter.com/R0bJWdmRN4
— News 4 San Antonio (@News4SA) May 5, 2026
“People think that by coming to the nation’s capital, they can really make put an emphasis on their political statement,” she added. “I don’t like that the nation’s capital is being used as the venue or the context within which people want to practice their political violence.”
New: Suspect in White House-area shooting identified as 45-year-old Michael Marx of Texas—now hospitalized under guard. Investigators say he fired first before agents returned fire. A 15-year-old bystander was hit. Motive unclear. Probe into background intensifies. @7NewsDC pic.twitter.com/NEshmqqA68
— John Gonzalez (@John7News) May 6, 2026
Late Tuesday night, former New York City police detective Paul Mauro, now a Fox News contributor, raised concern about the case, saying: “There’s something up with this latest shooting. Michael Marx from Texas? Secret Service shoots a guy near the White House and … nothing to see here? After what’s happened recently? Something’s off.”
Dashcam video obtained by News4 shows the National Mall shooting involving Secret Service officers. The Secret Service said a Texas man fired toward officers, who returned fire and hit him multiple times. https://t.co/j1Z9pak9jk
— NBC4 Washington (@nbcwashington) May 5, 2026
Mauro shared comments from former House Oversight Committee Chairman Jason Chaffetz, who said the average amount of training Secret Service officers receive is “30 minutes PER YEAR. That’s the average.”
This is true https://t.co/t7mGEF6SPN
— Jason Chaffetz (@jasoninthehouse) May 5, 2026
As WorldNetDaily reported, Matt Quinn, deputy director of the Secret Service, said the gunfire broke out about 3:30 p.m. on Monday.
He explained upon officers making contact with a suspicious individual, “that individual fled briefly on foot, withdrew a firearm and fired in the direction of our agents and officers. They returned fire and engaged. That individual was hit. He has since been transported to the hospital.”
🚨 BREAKING: An armed man opened fire in the vicinity of JD Vance’s motorcade near the White House, per USSS
The man opened fire on Secret Service, USSS returned fire, taking the shooter down.
NO law enforcement officers were injured
Pray not only for 47, but ALSO VP Vance🙏🏻 pic.twitter.com/hKzTKpjjaG
— Nick Sortor (@nicksortor) May 4, 2026
“We believe only one bystander was hit by the suspect. That individual is a juvenile, did not sustain any life-threatening injuries but he’s also receiving treatment at the hospital.”
Quinn added that Vice President JD Vance had traveled through the scene before gunfire erupted.
“Not long before this shooting occurred, the vice president’s motorcade did transit through this area.”
When asked why officers thought the individual was suspicious, he indicated officers observed a “visual print of a firearm.”
“These are trained surveillance-detection personnel out there looking every day to look for just that,” Quinn said. “Not far from the White House complex and they observed the visual point of a firearm.”
WATCH:
WATCH LIVE: Officials speak after armed individual shot near White House https://t.co/mIEi40RBP5
— Fox News (@FoxNews) May 4, 2026
Regarding the possibility of President Trump himself being targeted, Quinn said: “We’re patrolling this area and every site we do 24/7, hardcore. Whether or not it was directed to the president … I don’t know but we will find out.”
A 15-year-old who was injured during the exchange of gunfire has now been released from the hospital.
This incident comes on the heels of the foiled assassination attempt of Trump and top government officials at the White House Correspondents Dinner on April 25 at the Hilton hotel in Washington, D.C.
The suspect in that shooting, Cole Allen of Torrance, California, has been indicted by a grand jury and now faces an additional charge of assaulting an officer with a deadly weapon.
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WATCH: Secret Service shoots armed ‘suspicious individual’ near White House
