Feds: Intruder killed at Peruvian ambassador's residence
U.S. Secret Service officers shot and killed an intruder at the residence of the Peruvian ambassador to the United States in Washington, authorities said
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.U.S. Secret Service officers shot and killed an intruder who was smashing windows at the residence of the Peruvian ambassador to the United States in Washington on Wednesday, authorities said.
The ambassador and his family were inside the residence in the Forest Hills neighborhood of northwest Washington when they heard several windows being smashed just before 8 a.m. and called the Secret Service. The agency is responsible for protecting foreign dignitaries and missions in the U.S., including embassies and diplomatic residences.
The uniformed Secret Service officers encountered a man, armed with a metal stake, in the rear yard of the residence and deployed a Taser in an effort to detain him, but “those weapons appear to not have any effect on the person," Metropolitan Police Department Chief Robert Contee said at a news conference.
The officers then shot the man, who was pronounced dead at the scene, Contee said. His identity has not been released.
The sprawling residence is one of the largest homes in Washington and is surrounded by trees. It is just outside of the 1,754 acre Rock Creek Park that winds through Washington.
Investigators are still trying to discern why the man was at the ambassador's home and why he was smashing the windows, Contee said. Several windows and doors around the large property had been shattered, he said.
“We're still in the very early stages of the investigation,” Contee said. “We don’t know who this individual is, we don’t know why this person was on the ambassador’s residential property.”
Contee said the man appeared to be in his late 20s or 30s and authorities had not yet determined whether he was carrying any type of identification.
Investigators have not yet identified a motive, but Contee said it “appears to be isolated to this particular embassy residence.”