Two members of the National Guard have been shot in a busy area near the White House, officials said, putting the building into lockdown with President Donald Trump away in Florida.
FBI Director Kash Patel told reporters the troops were critically wounded, clarifying earlier erroneous reports that they had died.
"Two of our brave members of the National Guard ... were brazenly attacked in a horrendous act of violence. They were shot. They're in critical condition," he told a news conference.
West Virginia Governor Patrick Morrisey initially said in a post on X that both victims had died from their injuries. The White House reposted his statement.
But he soon posted a second statement that cited "conflicting reports" about their condition.
An administration official said the suspected shooter had been transported to a hospital with gunshot wounds. The motive for the shooting was not immediately clear.
Quoting law enforcement sources, CNN reported the suspect appeared to have deliberately targeted the soldiers.
Mr Trump is at his resort in Palm Beach ahead of tomorrow's Thanksgiving holiday, while US Vice President JD Vance is in Kentucky.
In a social media post, President Trump called the suspected shooter an "animal" who would "pay a very steep price" and praised the National Guard.
The shooting unfolded near Farragut Square, a popular lunch spot for office workers just a few blocks away from the White House.
The park, where light posts are wrapped in wreaths and bows for the holiday season, is flanked by fast-casual restaurants and a coffee shop, as well as two metro stops.
Witnesses described a chaotic scene after shots were fired with pedestrians fleeing.
National Guard soldiers have been in Washington since August, when Mr Trump deployed them to the streets as part of his contentious immigration and crime crackdown targeting Democratic-led cities.
As of today, there were about 2,200 National Guard troops in Washington, including contingents from the District of Columbia as well as Louisiana, Mississippi, Ohio, South Carolina, West Virginia, Georgia and Alabama.
Mr Trump, a Republican, has repeatedly suggested that crime has disappeared from the capital as a result of the deployment, which was opposed by local officials and heavily criticised by Democrats.
Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth told reporters that President Trump had asked for 500 additional Guard soldiers to be deployed to Washington in the wake of the shooting.
