A U.S. Secret Service officer shot a man who brandished a weapon near the White House on Friday afternoon.
Secret Service officers repeatedly ordered the man to stop and drop the gun, David A. Iacovetti, the Secret Service's deputy assistant director of public affairs, said in a statement. When the man refused, a Secret Service agent shot him once, and officers took him into custody.
Iacovetti added that officers recovered a gun at the scene and gave the suspect medical attention.
He was transported to a nearby hospital in critical condition, according to MSNBC.
D.C. police are investigating the incident.
A White House official told the press that “no one within or associated with the White House was injured” and President Barack Obama was briefed on the situation. Obama was at the golf course at Andrews Air Force Base, some 10 miles away, when the shooting occurred.
The vice president’s spokeswoman told ABC News that Joe Biden was in the White House complex but “secure.”
Members of the White House press corps were told to report to the basement and shelter in place. The brief lockdown was lifted by 4:10 p.m., according to CBS and NBC.
Jared Sorhaindo, 29, said he was walking past Pennsylvania Avenue near the White House when Secret Service officers began clearing the area.
“All of a sudden Secret Service start screaming, 'Everybody across the street, now!'” Sorhaindo said. “People were running across Lafayette Park and they cordoned everything off."
Sebastian Murdock contributed reporting.
