A man carrying a firearm was shot by a Secret Service agent at the White House on Friday afternoon after he failed to comply with multiple orders to drop his weapon.
The suspect approached a White House gate on 17th and E streets N.W., where he was ordered by multiple Secret Service Uniformed Division officers to drop his firearm. When he did not comply with their directives, an agent shot the man in the abdomen.
The suspect was then taken into custody and transported to a local hospital with “critical” injuries, according to the Washington, D.C. Fire and EMS Department. A lockdown at the White House was lifted shortly after the area was deemed secure.
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A government official told The Daily Beast that the suspect never accessed the White House complex. The official added that no law enforcement officers or members of the general public were injured. The firearm was recovered at the scene.
Members of the White House press corps and others within the complex were told to shelter in place in the basement immediately following the reports of a shooting outside the building. President Obama was golfing at Andrews Air Force Base during the incident.
A Secret Service spokesperson sent the following statement to The Daily Beast:
“Today, at approximately 3:06 pm, an adult male subject, carrying a firearm, approached an outer perimeter checkpoint accessible to the general public on E Street. Secret Service Uniformed Division Officers gave numerous verbal commands for the subject to stop and drop the firearm. When the subject failed to comply with the verbal commands, he was shot once by a Secret Service agent and taken into custody. The Secret Service recovered a firearm at the scene. Secret Service Uniformed Division Officers and an agent provided medical aid to the subject. The subject has been transported to a local area hospital for medical treatment.”
— Andrew Desiderio
Read it at NBC Washington
