WASHINGTON, May 20 (UPI) — An alert was issued and a lockdown was ordered at the White House on Friday afternoon after a man approached a security checkpoint with a gun in his hand and was shot by a Secret Service officer.
The shooting took place just after 3 p.m. EDT on West Executive Avenue NW near 17th and Pennsylvania Avenues, the U.S. Park Police said. West Executive Avenue is about 30 feet from the White House grounds.
The street separates the White House from the Eisenhower Executive Office Building, which houses several offices belonging to top White House staff.
Officials said a uniformed Secret Service officer opened fire on the man because he brandished a gun and refused commands to drop it.
The unidentified suspect was shot in the abdomen and taken into custody, sources told CNN. He is reported to have critical injuries.
Authorities cleared the North Lawn at the White House, Pennsylvania Avenue and Lafayette Park due to the incident, and told news reporters to take shelter inside. The lockdown was lifted at 4 p.m.
“No one within or associated with the White House was injured, and everyone in the White House is safe and accounted for,” the White House said in a statement. “The President has been made aware of the situation.”
“We are aware of the White House lockdown situation. I’ve been briefed by my public safety team [and] they are coordinating w federal partners,” Washington, D.C., Mayor Muriel E. Bowser said Friday afternoon.
“[Police] yelled multiple times, ‘stop, stop, stop,’ he kept ignoring them … he walked toward the officers, he just kept on walking in, refused to stop,” eyewitness Larry Samples told MSNBC.
Authorities subsequently located the suspect’s vehicle nearby and are searching it for any clues.
President Barack Obama was not in the White House at the time of the shooting. He was visiting Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland at the time.
The U.S. Secret Service and Park Police are the agencies primarily responsible for security at the White House, which has been the site of occasional shootings in the past.
This is a developing story
