Soldier accidentally shot during Secret Service incident near White House files $25 million personal injury claim

Pfc. Benjamin Del Real Jr. was visiting Washington with his family May 23 while on leave from the Army’s special warfare training when he found himself at the wrong place at the wrong time.

As Del Real, his sister and his father walked on Pennsylvania Avenue at about 6 p.m. to take photos of the White House, another man about 20 yards ahead of them pulled out a gun and began shooting at Secret Service agents, who fired back.

Del Real, 25, saw the shooter and took his father to the ground, moving him behind a concrete barrier to safety. However, a bullet struck the soldier in the abdomen, and he tore his ACL during the incident.

Nearly two months later, Del Real has life-altering injuries and is not certain whether he will be able to continue serving in the Army. He also wants answers and accountability about what happened to him that evening. For those reasons, he filed a $25 million personal injury claim against the Secret Service on Tuesday, alleging negligence. 

Benjamin Del Real Jr. in front of the Capitol Building during his trip to D.C. (Clifford Law Firm)

“We’re seeking two different things here from the Secret Service. We want answers, and we want accountability,” Joseph Murphy, Del Real’s attorney, said during a news conference Tuesday to announce the claim’s filing.

“The Secret Service are specifically and highly trained to identify and neutralize targets,” said Murphy, a former Army lawyer. “They need to do so with surgical precision to eliminate those targets without hurting members of the public. Ben was around 20 yards away. It wasn’t as if he was next to the shooter.”

The man who shot at the Secret Service, Nasire Best, 21, died of gunshot wounds, according to media reports from the incident.

Del Real, of Salina, Kan., enlisted 18 months ago and is assigned to the John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School at Fort Bragg, N.C. He arrived at the school in August after finishing basic training at Fort Benning, Ga., according to his official service record.

Del Real has a third surgery scheduled for next month and has already had part of his digestive system removed because of the gunshot wound, he said. He moved June 1 from a Washington hospital to Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Bethesda, Md., for rehabilitation and said he has felt very supported by his Army leadership during his recovery.

Special Operations Command said in a statement that its continued focus is to support Del Real and his family.

Benjamin Del Real Jr. in the hospital after his second surgery on May 25, 2026. (Clifford Law Offices)