1 of 5 | U.S. Secret Service officers investigate the scene of a shooting near the White House complex near 17th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., on Saturday. Photo by Jim Lo Scalzo/EPA
May 23 (UPI) — The White House was locked down on Saturday evening after a man approached one of its checkpoints and opened fire at the executive mansion before being shot by the Secret Service.
Around 6 p.m. a man near 17th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue approached a White House entrance, pulled a firearm from his bag and started firing at the entrance, the Secret Service said in a statement.
Members of several media organizations, some who were reporting live, reported hearing what they thought were gunshots before the Secret Service told them to seek shelter inside the James S. Brady Press Briefing Room.
“Secret Service Police returned fire, striking the suspect, who was transported to an area hospital where he was pronounced deceased,” Anthony Guglielmi, chief of communications for the Secret Service, said in the statement.
“During the shooting, one bystander was also struck by gunfire,” Guglielmi said. “No injuries were sustained by officers.”
The bystander is in serious condition, CBS News reported.
The Secret Service said that President Donald Trump, who has been working at the White House all day amid negotiations to end the Iran war, was in the White House during the shooting, “however no protectees or operations were impacted.”
Reporters on the North Lawn reported that they heard what they thought was gunfire and ducked before Secret Service agents told them to “sprint to the press briefing room” to take cover.
Both the Secret Service and FBI quickly confirmed that both agencies were investigating reports of gunfire near the White House.
The White House was briefly locked down, and The Washington Post reported that its security gates remained locked hours after the incident.
The White House checkpoint the man fired at is located at 17th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue, which is near the Eisenhower Executive Office Building.
Although the suspect approached the White House, Fox News reported that he never actually got inside the general perimeter of the executive mansion.
