Trump escorted from briefing after shooting near White House
Secret Service officers abruptly escorted President Donald Trump out of a live press briefing after a shooting occurred outside the White House yesterday.
The President had started a statement to the media when the Secret Service rushed him from the room and into the Oval Office before the White House entered lockdown.
When Trump returned to the press briefing he told reporters a shooting had occurred outside the White House, with the suspect shot by officers.
The shooting took place near the fence marking the perimeter of the White House, Trump told the press.
“It was a shooting outside of the White House,” Trump said. “It seems to be very well under control. … But there was an actual shooting, and somebody has been taken to the hospital. I don’t know the condition of the person.”
“There were no details – we just found out just now,” Trump added.
Trump praised the Secret Service for protecting him amid the shooting. And he responded to a reporter asking if the incident had shaken him by saying: “I don’t know. Do I seem rattled?”
Treasury secretary Steve Mnuchin and budget direct Russ Vought were also escorted from the press briefing.
A Secret Service tweet later on read: “The investigation into a USSS officer involved shooting is ongoing.
“A male subject and a USSS officer were both transported to a local hospital. At no time during this incident was the White House complex breached or were any protectees in danger.”