An armed man who opened fire on Secret Service agents in front of the White House on Saturday night has died after being shot, the presidential security service indicated in a statement. A passerby was also injured in the crossfire, the Secret Service declared, without providing further details regarding the health status of the victim.
The gunman opened fire on officers at a security checkpoint near the White House, and “Secret Service agents responded, striking the suspect, who was taken to a local hospital where he later died,” the official communication reads. Previously, the press had reported that agents from the force tasked with protecting the U.S. President responded to reports of an armed man near the White House, triggering a shootout.
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Between 15 and 30 bullets were fired at a street corner just one block away from the building that serves as the official residence of the President of the United States, Donald Trump. The sound of gunfire was captured inside the White House perimeter by journalists standing on the North Lawn during live broadcasts covering the progress of peace negotiations with Iran and the imminence of an agreement announced by Trump on Saturday.
The journalists were quickly escorted to the briefing room and witnessed the intervention of heavily armed Secret Service agents deploying across the grounds. Nearly a month ago, another armed man attempted to break into the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, forcing the executive protection detail to abruptly evacuate Donald Trump.
