Updated ,first published
Washington: The White House was placed into lockdown after a series of gunshots rang out near the premises, forcing reporters on the front lawn to duck for cover and the Secret Service to secure the property.
The Secret Service confirmed officers shot a man near the White House grounds after he approached a checkpoint, “pulled a weapon from his bag and began firing”.
US media outlets identified the suspect as 21-year-old Nasire Best, a Washington local who had previous encounters with law enforcement and exhibited mental health issues.
He was taken to hospital and later died, the Secret Service said, and a bystander was also shot. It was not known whether they were struck by the shooter’s initial gunfire or during the subsequent exchange.
Reuters reported the suspect had been identified as an emotionally disturbed person and that they had been issued with a “stay-away order” previously, citing a law enforcement official.
The incident occurred just after 6pm Saturday (Washington time), while President Donald Trump and other senior officials were inside the building, dealing with the unfolding situation in Iran.
He was not impacted by the incident, the Secret Service said, and nor were any other protectees or White House operations.
Dramatic video showed ABC News America reporter Selina Wang ducking for cover on the North Lawn of the White House as several loud bangs rang out while she was on air.
Journalists were held inside the press briefing room during the lockdown, with Secret Service patrolling the grounds outside. The lockdown was later lifted when the urgent threat subsided.
Washington police said the Secret Service was handling an incident at the intersection of Pennsylvania Avenue and 17th Street, which is in the north-west corner of the White House precinct, beside the Eisenhower Executive Office Building.
FBI director Kash Patel said the bureau was on the scene supporting the Secret Service and would provide updates later.
Trump thanked the police and Secret Service for neutralising the gunman, whom he said had a violent history and “possible obsession with our country’s most cherished structure”.
He said the incident once again demonstrated the need to build “the most safe and secure space of its kind ever built in Washington”, an apparent reference to his White House ballroom.
The incident comes only weeks after a gunman allegedly targeted Trump and other administration officials at the White House Correspondents Association’s annual dinner at the Hilton Hotel in Washington.
Secret Service agents were also involved in an armed confrontation with a man near the White House grounds earlier this month.
Kris Brown, the president of Brady, an anti-gun violence lobby group, said Americans must acknowledge that unceasing gun violence around the country and in Washington was unique to the US among industrialised nations.
“As we await more information about the shooter and where they obtained their firearm, this is yet another reminder that preventing gun violence and political violence should be a universal goal for all our elected leaders,” she said.
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