A uniformed Secret Service officer shot a person who drew a weapon just outside the White House Friday afternoon, a US law enforcement official said.
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“Secret Service Uniformed Division Officers gave numerous verbal commands for the subject to stop and drop the firearm”, security agencies said in a joint statement.
Government sources said two Secret Service officers had eyes on Olivieri before he even pulled out the gun and had “shadowed” him.
He received emergency medical attention and was taken to a hospital for treatment.
A man who appeared to be in his mid-20s walked to a gate of the White House holding a silver-colored gun pointed at the ground, said Brett Polivka, a 26-year-old visitor from Texas who was near the south side of the White House. The incident happened at around 3:06 p.m. Friday. The Secret Service agents also rushed to Vice President Joe Bide for additional security.
An earlier report said the suspect had opened fire on the White House complex, but it was not immediately clear what happened. Officials have not said how or if Obama was secured after the secret service learned about the shooting incident.
Separately, a White House official says no one in the building or associated with the White House was injured, and everyone inside is safe and accounted for. President Barack Obama was playing golf in Maryland at the time.
The White House has been placed on a security alert after a shooting on a street outside.
Iacovetti said in an emailed statement that the man was carrying the firearm when he approached the checkpoint just after 3 p.m. Friday.
Authorities said the man, who was shot once in the chest, was hospitalized in critical condition Friday night.
In September 2014, a knife-wielding man scaled the fence on the north lawn and made it past the front door of the White House before being apprehended. The Secret Service will determine whether shooting met its standards for using deadly force; D.C. police, along with prosecutors, will investigate whether any laws were broken.
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Jaspreet Singh, a tourist near the White House, told The Telegraph: “I just spoke to my friend”.
