Overview
- On May 23 a man opened fire near a Secret Service checkpoint by the White House, officers shot the suspect, and Private First Class Benjamin Del Real Jr. was struck in the abdomen during the exchange of gunfire.
- Del Real submitted a Federal Tort Claims Act notice seeking $25 million and asking the agency to preserve surveillance video, shell casings and firearms as evidence.
- His attorneys say a confidential source who viewed CCTV told them Secret Service gunfire hit Del Real, but Metropolitan Police Department and U.S. Attorney investigators have not yet returned ballistics results and the claim remains unverified.
- Del Real has had multiple surgeries, including removal of parts of his colon and small intestine, faces a third operation, and is uncertain whether he can continue his Army service.
- Under the FTCA the Secret Service has months to investigate before a lawsuit can proceed and the case could prompt operational reviews of use-of-force rules and bystander safety near high-security public areas.