Man charged after shooting at Secret Service officers near Washington Monument

A Texas man has been charged with opening fire at U.S. Secret Service officers near the Washington Monument, injuring a juvenile bystander who was crossing the street with his family as Vice President J.D. Vance’s motorcade was leaving the White House, according to federal prosecutors.

The shooting happened at about 3:40 p.m. on Monday near 15th Street and Independence Avenue SW, along the National Mall in Washington, D.C., according to court papers. The area is near the Washington Monument and several blocks south of the White House.

Michael Marx, 45, of Midland, Texas, was charged in federal court with assaulting federal officers with a dangerous weapon, using and discharging a firearm during a crime of violence, and unlawful possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia.

Prosecutors said a plainclothes Secret Service agent first saw Marx near 15th Street and Madison Drive NW, where he appeared to be concealing a firearm on the right side of his body. The agent alerted the Secret Service Joint Operations Center and requested uniformed backup.

At the same time, Vance’s motorcade was leaving the White House and passing through the area of 15th Street and Independence Avenue SW, prosecutors said.

Uniformed Secret Service officers found Marx along the path of the motorcade. As officers approached, Marx walked toward a group of civilians crossing the street before running east on Independence Avenue SW.

Prosecutors said Marx pulled a firearm from his waistband while running through the crosswalk toward bystanders. When he reached the sidewalk, he turned and fired at one of the pursuing officers.

A civilian witness standing behind the officer was shot in the leg. Prosecutors said the bystander had been crossing the street with his family when the shooting happened.

Officers returned fire, striking Marx in the hand, left arm and upper abdomen. He collapsed at the intersection of 15th Street and Independence Avenue SW, where officers rendered aid before he was taken to George Washington University Hospital.

Marx was identified through a Texas driver’s license found on him, according to prosecutors. Law enforcement also identified aliases including Patrick Michael and Michael Zavici.

While in the ambulance, Marx allegedly made statements to officers including “F— the White House” and “Kill me, kill me, kill me,” according to court papers.

Investigators recovered a Sig Sauer P365 handgun loaded with 9mm ammunition from the area where Marx fell. Prosecutors said Marx did not have a license to carry a handgun in the District of Columbia.

U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro said her office would pursue the most serious charges available “against anyone who brings gun violence to our streets, particularly when that violence unfolds steps from the seat of our government and the path of the Vice President of the United States.”