Bystander injured in shooting near White House pursuing legal claim against Secret Service

A Kansas man who was injured in a shootout between Secret Service agents and an unrelated armed individual near the White House this spring is pursing legal action against the federal agency for alleged negligence.

Attorneys for 25-year-old Benjamin Del Real, Jr., said during a press conference on Tuesday that they would file an administrative claim under the Federal Tort Claims Act, the first step toward a potential lawsuit.

“The United States Secret Service is a highly trained and highly effective organization,” said Joseph Murphy, a partner at Clifford Law Offices in Chicago. “With that being said, they are trained to identify and neutralize targets without hurting or injuring civilians, and they are trained to anticipate and expect the unexpected.

“And unfortunately, they fell well short of their training on May 23rd of this year when they injured Benjamin Del Real,” he added.

A spokesperson for the Secret Service declined to comment on pending litigation.

Real, a private first class in the U.S. Army stationed in North Carolina, was visiting the nation’s capitol with his father and sister over Memorial Day weekend when shots rang out near 17th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue NW, according to Murphy.

A Secret Service spokesperson said in an initial statement that........

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