The US Secret Service shot an armed man near the White House on Sunday (9 March), local time, while President Donald Trump was in Florida, the agency has confirmed.
The 27-year-old individual was seen wielding a firearm in front of the White House before being engaged by security personnel.
According to The New York Times, the Secret Service promptly released a statement following the incident.
The gunman, identified as a resident of Indiana, was reportedly suicidal, as stated by Anthony Guglielmi, the agency’s chief of communications.
In an official statement, Guglielmi detailed that Secret Service officers initially spotted the armed man near a vehicle parked directly in front of the White House.
When security personnel attempted to halt him, he failed to comply, prompting officers to open fire.
No members of the Secret Service were injured in the incident.
Guglielmi further stated that the Washington, DC, Metropolitan Police Department’s Internal Affairs Force Investigations Team would lead the inquiry into the event, as it is responsible for investigating such incidents within the District of Columbia.
