Law enforcement authorities are responding to reports of shots fired near White House
WASHINGTON (AP) — Law enforcement is responding to shots fired near the White House grounds.
Journalists working there on Saturday reported hearing a series of gunshots and being told to take shelter in the press briefing room. U.S. Secret Service officers prevented them from leaving.
There were no immediate reports of injuries or information regarding the incident.
On X, the Secret Service said it was “aware of reports of shots fired near 17th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue NW” (one block from the White House) and was “working to verify the information with personnel on the ground.” It was said that an update would come soon.
FBI Director Kash Patel said in a social media post that officers responded to shots fired and “will keep the public informed as much as we can.”
Minister Donald Trump he was inside the White House at the time.
In a post shared on X, ABC News senior White House correspondent Selina Wang shared dramatic video of the moment she said she heard “what sounded like dozens of gunshots” and ducked for cover. The video of Wang, who wrote that he was performing a task that reporters at the White House do every day — filming themselves with a cellphone for a social media post — shows Trump talking for several seconds about his comments about a possible Iran deal early Saturday.
As gunshots ring out in the background, Wang’s eyes widen further and he leans toward the media tent, one of the tents lined along the White House driveway where broadcasters film their coverage. On X, Wang’s video had been shared thousands of times and viewed at least 3 million times as of Saturday evening.
The Metropolitan Police Department said on Account X that Secret Service was working the scene and warned people to avoid. The crime scene is near where a gunman ambushed two West Virginia National Guard members last November.
US Army Specialist Sarah Beckstrom (20) died from her injuries. Andrew Wolfe, who was 24 at the time, was seriously injured. Rahmanullah Lakanwal was accused in this incident.
Saturday’s shooting came nearly a month after what law enforcement officials say was an assassination attempt on the president, who was attending the annual White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner at a Washington hotel on April 25. Cole Tomas Allen of Torrance, California recently pleaded not guilty He is accused of attempting to kill Trump and remains in federal custody.
Following that scare, Secret Service officers shot and killed a suspect they said was shooting at officers near the Washington Monument, also near the White House. Michael Marx, 45, of Midland, Texas, was charged in a complaint filed in U.S. District Court in connection with the May 4 shooting. A young man in the area was injured in the incident.
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Associated Press writers Gary Fields, Meg Kinnard and Matthew Daly contributed to this report.
