Secret Service officer shoots armed man outside White House
WASHINGTON - The White House was temporarily placed on lockdown after a police-involved shooting of an armed suspect outside of the complex.
According to the Secret Service, a Secret Service agent shot a man after he approached an outer perimeter checkpoint on E Street armed with a weapon. After refusing orders by officers to drop his gun, the suspect was shot once and taken into custody. A firearm was recovered. The incident happened at around 3:06 p.m. Friday.
The man was transported with critical injuries to George Washington University Hospital, according to D.C. Fire and EMS.
A U.S. law enforcement official said Friday evening that authorities had identified the gunman as Jesse Oliveri of Ashland, Pennsylvania. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because the official was not authorized to release the information.
A White House official said no one within or associated with the White House was injured and everyone is safe and accounted for. The Secret Service tweeted all of its officers are safe after the incident.
After the lockdown was lifted, police were seen searching through a white Toyota sedan believed to belong to the suspect parked on Constitution Avenue near the White House.
A source told FOX 5's Tisha Lewis that police recovered a significant amount of ammunition from the vehicle. They are trying to determine what the ammunition was intended to be used for and how he obtained it. The source also said the suspect wanted to "commit suicide by cop." The suspect was not on the Secret Service's "radar" and they are checking with other law enforcement agencies to see if he was known to them.
President Barack Obama was not at the White House at the time of the shooting, but was golfing at Joint Base Andrews. Vice President Joe Biden was in the White House complex at the time, but was secured during the lockdown, his office said.
Martina Evans was visiting the nation's capital with her mother and their family from Ecuador.
"When I turned around, I heard the shot where my cousins are," said the 14-year-old Evans. "We thought it was fireworks, but it was only one shot. But then my aunt and uncles screamed, 'Someone got shot!'"
Evans witnessed the suspect on the ground seconds after he was shot by the Secret Service officer.
"Police were around him with the guns and I got really scared," said Evans. "The police started screaming at us, 'Get out of here! Get to the floor!'"
By 3:15 p.m., the White House was place on lockdown with surrounding streets closed. For the next hour, tourists were ordered to leave.
"We were told to clear the area," said Harsimar Bhatt, a tourist from Detroit. "There was Secret service running around with their guns and everyone is going crazy."
By 5 p.m., the lockdown at the White House had been lifted.
D.C. police said they are the lead investigators on this case and are still investigating the shooting.
Information from The Associated Press used in this report.