(Christina Urso) WASHINGTON DC — In March, Secret Service agents shot and wounded a man who had driven from Indiana to the White House, supposedly with the intent to commit “suicide by cop.” At the time, few details were provided about the suspect, 27-year-old Andrew Dawson, other than that he was taken to a nearby hospital and remained alive.
On Tuesday, Headline USA attended Dawson’s sentencing hearing at the Washington DC Superior Court, where prosecutors revealed bombshell details about what happened. Dawson was given a six-month suspended sentence, plus a year of probation after pleading guilty in May to carrying a pistol without a license.
According to prosecutors, Secret Service agents shot Dawson a whopping 18 times. At least one of those shots may have hit on or near Dawson’s throat. He appeared to have a vocal-cord injury when he appeared remotely with his father. Prosecutors said he was “permanently impaired” from the incident. No Secret Service agents were injured.
It’s still unclear what exactly led to the shooting.
In March, officials said a “be on the lookout order” (BOLO) was issued for Dawson by the Metropolitan Police Department’s Homeland Security Division. According to charging papers, Secret Service followed Dawson to the 1700 Block of G St. NW, where additional Secret Service units arrived on the scene.
Dawson, who had left his vehicle and was walking, was stopped and given orders. According to the Secret Service, he responded by “brandishing” a firearm—likely a BB gun, given that’s what officers say they found on his person. He also had a “cell phone handgun” in his pocket, according to charging papers.
However, CCTV cameras purportedly didn’t capture the shooting. Moreover, a judge has slapped a protective order on the Secret Service bodycam footage from the incident.
@NotRadix has some bombshell updates on the bizarre case of a "suicidal" man shot by Secret Service agents outside of the White House in March. pic.twitter.com/fCh1vcqKcV
— Headline USA (@HeadlineUSA) August 12, 2025
On Tuesday, prosecutors didn’t provide any more details about how law enforcement agencies knew Dawson was coming to the White House, or how they knew he was suicidal.
While at the courthouse, Headline USA also grabbed a copy of Dawson’s eight-count indictment from the courthouse. The indictment also raises further questions, because it said that Dawson did “possess, sell and transfer” a large-capacity ammunition feeding device.
Courthouse officials said an application to the DC Attorney’s Office would be necessary to obtain the bodycam footage.
Headline USA is working to obtain more records about the case.
Ken Silva contributed to this report.
