A federal grand jury in the District of Columbia indicted Michael Marx, 45, of Midland, Texas, on May 29, 2026, charging him in connection with a May 4, 2026 shooting near the Washington Monument [1]. According to the indictment, Marx carried an illegal firearm into the District, fired at uniformed law enforcement officers, and wounded a teenage bystander who was visiting the National Mall [1]. The Vice President's motorcade was traveling in the vicinity at the time of the shooting [1].
The charges arise under federal statutes governing unlawful possession of a firearm in the District of Columbia and assault on federal officers [1]. The U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia, under the authority of U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro, announced the indictment [1]. The U.S. Secret Service, which provides protective details for the Vice President, was among the law enforcement agencies involved in the response and is identified in the charging documents as a party whose personnel were targeted [1]. The National Mall, where the shooting occurred, falls under federal jurisdiction as a unit of the National Park Service, placing the incident squarely within the reach of federal criminal law.
The case is proceeding in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia [1]. Marx faces multiple counts, including charges tied to the illegal transport and use of a firearm within the District, assault on a federal officer, and offenses related to the wounding of the bystander [1]. No plea has been entered as of the indictment date. The involvement of the Secret Service and the proximity of the shooting to a Vice Presidential protective detail elevate the case to a matter of active national security concern for federal prosecutors.
Given the nature of the charges and the involvement of a Vice Presidential motorcade, prosecutors are expected to seek detention pending trial. The case will proceed through the standard federal pretrial motion practice in the D.C. district court, with discovery and any suppression motions likely to center on the circumstances of Marx's entry into the District with a firearm and the sequence of events leading to the shooting. No trial date has been publicly scheduled [1].