Key facts
- Benjamin Del Real, a 25-year-old active-duty soldier, was wounded in a shooting near the White House on May 23.
Benjamin Del Real, an active-duty soldier wounded in a shooting near the White House on May 23, is undergoing treatment and has retained legal counsel. His lawyer is investigating the circumstances of the incident.
The incident raises questions about security protocols and the potential for civilian casualties during encounters with law enforcement near sensitive government locations.
A bystander, identified as Benjamin Del Real, an active-duty soldier, is still undergoing treatment for injuries sustained during an exchange of gunfire near the White House on May 23. Del Real, a 25-year-old private first class, has retained a lawyer, Joseph Murphy, who stated that the law firm is investigating the circumstances of the incident. Del Real was reportedly visiting Washington as a tourist when the gunman, Nasire Best, approached Secret Service officers at a security checkpoint and began shooting. Best was killed in the encounter. Reports suggest Del Real may have been wounded by Secret Service fire, though authorities have not confirmed this, awaiting ballistics results. The Metropolitan Police Department's Internal Affairs division is conducting the investigation.