A man with a gun in his hand approached a security checkpoint two blocks away from the White House on Friday and was shot by a Secret Service agent.
The man was shot in the chest and was taken to hospital in critical condition, NBC News reported.
The man was carrying a silver gun when he walked through the fence line of the checkpoint, according to an eye-witness interviewed by NBC News.
“They immediately tried to stop him,” the witness said of the security personnel.
The security guards yelled “stop” multiple times, and “drop your gun.”
“He kept ignoring them,” the witness said, and as the man continued to walk in, he said, “they shot him.”
The shooting occurred at about 3 p.m. and the White House was placed on lockdown.
The Secret Service is confirming a police involved shooting near the @WhiteHouse complex. All Secret Service protectees are safe.
— U.S. Secret Service (@SecretService) May 20, 2016
The location of the checkpoint is around the intersection of 17th Street NW and E Street NW, about two blocks from the White House, and about 500 feet from the White House fence.
