Police say at least five people shot at busy thoroughfare in Washington, DC

Police have said at least five people have been shot in a busy thoroughfare in the centre of Washington, DC.

The shooting occurred on Thursday near Logan Circle, at the intersection of 15th Street NW and P Street, police said at 8:23am local time (13:28 GMT). Police said in an update that the attacker had barricaded himself in the area.

The attack took place about a mile from the United States’ White House during the rush hour commute.

Schools near the scene were placed on lockdown. Police issued a shelter-in-place order as law enforcement descended on the block.

“Go inside the nearest building, stay away from windows, and remain indoors until further notice,” it said.

The condition of the victims was not immediately available.

Reporting from the scene, Al Jazeera’s John Holman described a “river of police cars” and both local and federal law enforcement donning tactical gear.

“That’s not just from the police force, but also from FBI and Secret Service heading towards there,” he said.

The attack comes as the administration of US President Donald Trump has made crime in the US capital a key issue during his second term.

That has included deploying the US National Guard across the city, a move Trump took after a Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) official said he was assaulted in the early morning of August 2025.

The US president declared a crime emergency, which also included federalising control of the federal district’s local police force.

Several thousand National Guard troops have remained in the district, with Trump regularly claiming their presence has brought down crime. Local officials have said the National Guard has not been used in local law enforcement.

The White House did not immediately respond to Thursday’s attack.

In November of last year, a National Guard member was killed by a gunman while on duty near 17th and I Streets NW. A second National Guard member was wounded.

In October, another National Guard member was shot during a gunfight in southeast Washington, DC.