Overview
- A gunman fired at a Secret Service checkpoint outside the White House and was shot by officers, later dying after being taken to a hospital.
- Pfc. Benjamin Del Real Jr. was struck in the abdomen during the May 23 encounter and has had emergency surgery plus additional operations that removed parts of his colon and small intestine.
- Del Real filed a notice under the Federal Tort Claims Act on July 21 seeking $25 million and asking that firearms, shell casings and surveillance video be preserved for possible litigation.
- Ballistics testing has not yet confirmed whether Secret Service rounds struck Del Real, the Secret Service has declined to comment on pending litigation, and the incident remains under multiagency investigation.
- The case highlights legal and procedural hurdles for suing federal law enforcement and shows how evidence preservation and investigation outcomes will shape questions about use of force at crowded public security checkpoints.