Suicide near White House

A MAN shot and killed himself near the White House as the US capital dealt with another tense incident at the presidential residence amid a nationwide debate over gun control laws.

The victim on Saturday was an unidentified adult male, Washington police said on Twitter. Officials were working on notifying his relatives.

The man fired the shot while standing in a crowd of more than 100 people, according to witnesses quoted by The Washington Post.

The Secret Service, the authority protecting the White House and the president, indicated earlier on Twitter the incident appeared to be a suicide.