US Secret Service escorted Donald Trump from an in-progress press briefing into the Oval Office following a shooting outside the White House, where law enforcement and medical personnel were treating a person on the sidewalk. Law enforcement reportedly fired several shots at a male suspect.
Videos from the scene show Secret Service vehicles and emergency medical responders rushing to the scene near 17th Street, north of the White House lawn near Lafayette Square.
“There was a shooting outside the White House. It seems to be very well under control,” the president said. “Somebody’s been taken to the hospital. I don’t know the condition of the person. It seems the person was shot by Secret Service.”
In a statement, the Secret Service said it “can confirm there has been an officer involved shooting at 17th Street and Pennsylvania [Avenue]. Law enforcement officials are on the scene.”
The suspect was sent to a nearby hospital with serious injuries, according to local law enforcement.
"A male subject and a USSS officer were both transported to a local hospital," the Secret Service reported. "At no time during this incident was the White House complex breached or were any protectees in danger."
The president was only a few minutes into his remarks before he was approached at the dais by a Secret Service agent.
“Excuse me?” the president asked.
The agent asked him to step outside.
Asked whether any White House perimeters or buildings were breached, the president said: “I don’t think the person breached anything. I don’t believe anything was breached. I asked that question.”
