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Secret Service agent shoots armed person outside White House

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ASSOCIATED PRESS

People visited the south lawn during the annual White House Spring Garden tours in Washington on April 17. The U.S. Park Police reported a shooting on a road inside the White House complex today, and one person was transported to a hospital with critical injuries, the Washington, D.C. Fire and EMS Department said.

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ASSOCIATED PRESS

Secret Service Police Officers told pedestrians to get back on State Place Northwest near the White House in Washington, today, after the White House was placed on a security alert after a shooting on a street outside.

WASHINGTON » A U.S. Secret Service officer shot a man with a gun who approached a checkpoint outside the White House this afternoon and refused to drop his weapon, the Secret Service said.

The White House was briefly placed on a security alert after the shooting, which happened within view of sightseers as sidewalks were crowded with families, school groups and government workers.

The armed man approached the checkpoint on E Street shortly after 3 p.m., and ignored repeated orders from the officer to drop his gun, according to a statement from David Iacovetti, a Secret Service deputy assistant director.

The officer fired one shot at the man and the gun was recovered at the scene, Iacovetti said. The man was transported in critical condition to a nearby hospital, an emergency medical services spokesman said.

President Barack Obama was away playing golf, but Vice President Joe Biden was in the White House complex and was secured during the lockdown, his office said. The security alert was lifted about an hour later.

The gunman never made it inside the White House complex, and no one else was injured, the Secret Service said.

Federal agents found ammunition inside a Toyota sedan, parked nearby on Constitution Avenue, that the gunman was believed to have driven, a U.S. law enforcement official said, speaking on condition of anonymity for lack of authorization to release the information.

Sightseer Jenna Noelle of Austin, Texas, said she had just taken a photo of the White House when she noticed a man harassing an agent.

Then, “as we were walking away we heard a shot fired, then some people started running away and agents had guns and were evacuating people.”

“I had a panic attack,” she added. “I’m doing OK now, but it was pretty freaky to be right there a second before it happened. Not really the experience we wanted,” she added.

Community activist Akil Patterson said he heard a single gunshot while waiting in a security line. Within seconds, a security guard shouted to drop to the ground, and then he was evacuated to the street.

Patterson said he was at the White House to get a presidential award for his work with Baltimore teens.

He says his community work aims to “get rid of the notion that gun violence is the answer.”

23 responses to “Secret Service agent shoots armed person outside White House”

  1. allie says:

    How on earth does such a person even get close to the White House. There are way too many crazies, many fo them white males gone bad, out there.

  2. Keonigohan says:

    Can’t help it if O is so well loved. First mistake to get a O_bro_hug is going to the WH..should have gone to the golf course first.

  3. Marauders_1959 says:

    “President Barack Obama was not there — he was playing golf”.

    LOL !!!!
    Other than taking his entourage to Hawaii for two weeks every Christmas, what else does he do ?

  4. Too_Much_Pilikia says:

    Suicide via Secret Service? Let the facts unfold and the cards fall where they may.

    Allie, you have ‘white guilt’ written all over you. Hardly ever read anymore about black on black or even black on white crime. Stop drinking the liberal media’s Kool Aid

    • cojef says:

      Agree! Certainly an average individual would be aware that there are security personnel all over the establishment and have orders to shoot first then ask. Once on White property you are fair game unless invited or authorized.

    • livinginhawaii says:

      If you follow the “Allie” posts over the years there have been certain clues that strongly suggest Allie is a male. I would not be at all surprised to discover that he is caucasian as well.

    • AhiPoke says:

      The thought of suicide came to my mind as well. Anyone who would draw a weapon anywhere near the White House, has to know that there will be an immediate shoot first response. The fact that he did not fire his weapon seems to indicate he wanted to be killed.

  5. samidunn says:

    No worries – Obama was on the golf course

  6. juscasting says:

    Hey, I’ve watched both in 1080 DPI “Olympus Has Fallen” and “White House Down” so I know this dude was a genuine fruit cake!

  7. den says:

    shoot’em up take’um down

  8. residenttaxpayer says:

    At least the agent wasn’t sleeping and paying attention to his surroundings…….

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