An intruder who was smashing windows at the Washington, D.C., home of the Peruvian ambassador was fatally shot Wednesday morning by Secret Service agents, according to police.
Hours later, many details of the fatal encounter remain unclear, including who the intruder was, why he was at the ambassador's home and why the incident resulted in a fatal shooting.
Here's what we know so far.
What Happened?
Shortly before 8 a.m. Wednesday, the U.S. Secret Service Uniformed Division was called to the 3000 block of Garrison Street Northwest in D.C., Metropolitan Police Chief Robert Contee III said at a briefing. When the agents arrived, they discovered a person in the rear of the Peruvian ambassador's residence and learned that the suspect had "smashed out" several windows in the back of the home.
The suspect was holding a metal stake, Contee said, and officers initially fired stun guns at him, but "they did not take effect," Contee said. The officers then pulled out their service weapons and fired.
"This person is now deceased," Contee said. The ambassador and his wife were inside the residence at the time of the incident, but no one inside the home was hurt, he added.
Contee also said that he doesn't believe authorities are ramping up security at other residences and that what happened at the Peruvian ambassador's home appeared to be an "isolated incident."
The chief said that Secret Service agents were taken to an area hospital for evaluation but didn't appear to have any life-threatening injuries. He added that he was not sure if the agents had suffered any injuries because he arrived at the scene after they were taken to the hospital.
In a statement shared with Newsweek earlier Wednesday, the Secret Service said: "This morning, following a confrontation, uniformed division officers shot a reported intruder at a residence in the 3000 block of Garrison Street NW. Public information officers en route to the scene. No injuries reported to officers."
Peru's embassy also issued a statement Wednesday morning.
"The Embassy of Peru regrets to report that today, in the early hours of the morning, a person entered the Official Residence without authorization, causing material damage to the property," the translated statement said.
"This person was killed by the Secret Service. The Ambassador, his family, the staff of the Residence and the secret service agents are safe, and the incident is being investigated by the competent authorities," the statement added.
Who Is the Suspect?
Contee said at the briefing that authorities do not yet know the suspect's identity or why he was at the residence and smashing the home's windows. He said that the suspect was an adult male who was possibly in his late 20s or 30s.
There was no immediate indication that the suspect was known to law enforcement, Contee added. Authorities are not sure whether the suspect knowingly targeted the ambassador's home or if the intrusion was a random act.
"It does not appear that anyone knows who this person is," Contee said.
Update 4/20/22, 12:55 p.m. ET: This story was updated with additional information and background.
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Zoe Strozewski is a Newsweek reporter based in New Jersey. Her focus is reporting on U.S. and global politics. Zoe ... Read more
