On Monday, authorities placed the White House under immediate lockdown after a shooting near 15th Street and Independence Avenue in Washington, D.C.
The gunshot occurred right before President Donald Trump’s news conference, according to reporters on the scene.
Before the press conference, Secret Service Uniformed Division agents at the White House shot a man they believed was carrying a gun, according to RealClearPolitics journalist Susan Crabtree.
The US secret service also verified that the shooting involved an officer.
In a statement, it said, “One individual was shot by law enforcement; their condition is currently unknown. Please avoid the area as emergency crews are responding,” the secret service said.
CNBC photojournalist Megan Cassella said in another post that Secret Service agents evacuated journalists from their camera positions.
However, Al Jazeera correspondent Alan Fisher later reported that authorities had lifted the alarm and escorted reporters back into the briefing room.
Authorities have not yet disclosed the suspect’s details or motivations.
The incident comes barely two weeks after an assassination attempt on Trump at the White House Correspondents’ dinner.
BACKSTORY…
Officials disclosed that the gunman rushed to Secret Service checkpoint inside the Washington Hilton.
Law authorities say that at around 8:36 p.m., a lone suspect with a shotgun, a revolver, and several knives stormed into the hotel lobby area and tried to get past a Secret Service checkpoint.
However, Secret Service agents quickly confronted him, and an exchange of gunfire followed.
Officials said at a late-night press briefing that the suspect had likely been a guest at the Washington Hilton, where the incident occurred.
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