A Secret Service agent shot and wounded himself in the leg while guarding former first lady Jill Biden at Philadelphia International Airport on Friday, according to the agency and a report.
The on-duty agent’s gun went off around 8:30 a.m. while helping escort former President Joe Biden’s wife at the busy travel hub, sources told KYW.
The agent suffered a non-life-threatening injury following the “negligent discharge” that took place while he was handling his service weapon, said Secret Service spokesperson Nate Herring.
“There was no impact to the protectee’s movement, and they were not present at the time of the incident,” Herring said.
There were no other reported injuries, and the agent is at a hospital in stable condition.
Philadelphia police told CBS Philadelphia that the gun went off while the agent was in an unmarked Chevrolet SUV near the 1 PIA Way access point and the Pennsylvania Tower.
Philadelphia police and other agencies were on scene Friday morning, KYW reported.
“The Secret Service’s Office of Professional Responsibility will be reviewing the facts and circumstances of this incident,” said the Secret Service spokesperson.
“We are grateful for our law enforcement and public safety partners who provided medical assistance.”
The accidental discharge comes after a Secret Service agent assigned to protect Vice President JD Vance was placed on leave in January after he divulged sensitive details of his job to a woman who was secretly recording him.
The agency also faced fierce backlash after a gunman was able to open fire on President Trump while he was on the campaign trail in the summer of 2024.
A report from a pair of US senators last year outlined the agency’s “inexcusable negligence” before, during and after the attempt on Trump’s life in what they called a “cascade of preventable failures.”
