Washington, DC: Some parts of the White House was put under lockdown briefly on Monday after a man opened fire near the Washington Monument.
The incident led to a tense situation at the High security zone. A suspect was later shot and injured by the police. A minor was also injured in the firing.
Plainclothes officers spotted the man around 3.30 pm (1 am IST on Tuesday) and noticed the imprint of a firearm on him, raising immediate suspicion, the Secret Service said.
There was some concern as vice president J D Vance’s motorcade had passed through the area not long before the shooting. There is no indication though that the suspect was targeting the motorcade or the White House, officials said, as reported by the Financial Express.
The officers followed the man for a short time and then alerted uniformed officers. When officers approached him, he tried to run, Secret Service deputy director Matt Quinn said.
“The man attempted to flee,” Quinn said. Moments later, things turned serious. “The man fired at the officers,” he
added. Officers returned fire, and the man was shot.
President Donald Trump was inside the White House attending a small business event at the time of the shooting. Journalists who were outside were rushed into the briefing room as a precaution. Trump continued his event without stopping, despite the situation.
The suspect was taken to a hospital, but there is no word yet on his condition. Injuries to the minor were not serious, officials said.
“We believe only one bystander was hit by the suspect,” Quinn said, adding that the injuries were not life-threatening and the juvenile is being treated in the hospital. There is still some confusion about how exactly the child was hit.
He could not confirm if the minor was struck by the suspect’s gunfire, Quinn said. “We’ll let the doctors figure that out,” he said, adding that “investigators believe he was struck by the suspect.”
Quinn also said it is not yet clear if the incident had anything to do with the president. “I’m not going to guess on that,” he said. “Whether or not it was directed to the president or not, I don’t know, but we will find out.”
The incident comes barely a week after a man tried to enter an event linked to the White House Correspondents’ Association carrying guns and knives.
The suspect in that case, Cole Tomas Allen, has been charged. A Secret Service officer was shot during that incident, but was not seriously hurt because he was wearing body armour.