The White House was briefly placed on lockdown Monday just moments after U.S. President Donald Trump began a press conference.
Update 9 p.m. EDT Aug. 10: A senior administration official told CNN there was an active shooter near the White House and that shooter is in custody.
The U.S. Secret Service confirmed via Twitter just before 8 p.m. that both a “male subject” and a Secret Service officer were transported to a local hospital following the shooting.
Update: the investigation into a USSS officer involved shooting is ongoing. A male subject and a USSS officer were both transported to a local hospital. At no time during this incident was the White House complex breached or were any protectees in danger.
— U.S. Secret Service (@SecretService) August 10, 2020
The incident happened just outside of the White House grounds close to Lafayette Square, the administration official told CNN.
Original report: U.S. Secret Service agents surrounded the president quickly and escorted him from the briefing room. CNN’s Kaitan Collins captured the following exchange between the agents and Trump.
"Sir, we’re just going to have to step outside," a Secret Service agent said.
— Kaitlan Collins (@kaitlancollins) August 10, 2020
"Excuse me?" Trump asked.
"Step outside," the agent said.
"Oh," Trump said, then left the room.
“There was a shooting outside of the White House; seems to be under control,” Trump said upon returning to his scheduled press conference.
“Somebody’s been taken to the hospital. I don’t know the condition,” Trump said.
The shots, he said, were fired by law enforcement.
“It was the suspect who was shot,” Trump said. “It was on the outside of the premises.”
UPDATE: President Trump returned to the briefing room minutes later saying Secret Service shot someone outside the White House. https://t.co/NuPg2JrhLT
— Chad Silber ✌🏼 (@ChadSilber) August 10, 2020
Trump also told reporters, “I don’t think anything was breached.”
The shooting took place near 17th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue just blocks from the White House, two sources with knowledge of the situation who were not authorized to speak publicly about it told The Associated Press.
The suspect was transferred to a local hospital, and the District of Columbia fire department said the man suffered serious or possibly critical injuries, but no motive for the shooting has been determined, the AP reported.
-- The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Cox Media Group
