Gunman shot after trying to breach White House security
Man wounded by secret service agent after trying to storm checkpoint outside Obama residence
A GUNMAN was shot and wounded by a Secret Service agent as he stormed a security checkpoint just outside the White House last night.
The suspect, described as white and probably in his twenties, brandished a silver-coloured weapon and kept going despite shouts for him to stop, witnesses told The Daily Telegraph.
He was hit once in the stomach as the agent opened fire.
Emergency services said the gunman was taken to hospital in a critical condition.
One tourist, who witnessed the attack, said he was a “white guy with a gun in his right hand.” The witness added: “The police yelled at him but he kept walking. They yelled a lot, 10 times, then the cops shot him.”
Brett Polivka, 26, a visitor from Texas, said the man’s gun appeared to have been pointed at the ground.
He said: “A couple of officers drew their guns and went right at him, and within two or three seconds we heard a gunshot.”
The shooting happened at a checkpoint a block to the west of the White House which is used by government employees entering the building and manned by the Secret Service.
The Secret Service said: “When the subject failed to comply with verbal commands he was shot once by an agent and taken into custody.” Barack Obama was not in the White House at the time. He was playing golf at a course on Andrews Air Force Base south of Washington. It was not known if his wife Michelle Obama and their two daughters were at home.
Vice-President Joe Biden was in the White House and was immediately taken to a secure location.
The Secret Service immediately issued a “red alert” and shut down areas around the building, which serves as both the home and offices of the president.
Snipers could be seen on the roof and officers with assault weapons patrolled near the west side of the White House.
Police later said they had established the identity of the gunman. His vehicle was found parked nearby and was being checked for explosives.
A White House official said: “No one within or associated with the White House was injured and everyone in the White House is safe and accounted for. The president was made aware of the situation.”
The shooting was the latest incident that has raised questions over whether the president’s residence is adequately protected.
In 2011 a gunman managed to hit the White House with automatic rifle fire.
In September 2014 a man armed with a knife jumped a fence and was able to run inside the building. That episode led to the resignation of the US Secret Service director.
The Secret Service announced plans last month to raise the fence around the White House from 6ft to 11ft, declaring it “entirely scaleable and not adequate for the modern era”.