On Friday shortly after 3 p.m., a man carrying a gun approached a checkpoint on E Street near the White House. The suspect did not respond to verbal commands to stop and drop the gun.
The White House was immediately put on lockdown as the suspect was being dealt with by Secret Service agents. Vice President Joe Biden was secured inside the White House, but President Barack Obama was reported to be safe and secure at another location.
During the incident, the suspect was shot once by a Secret Service agent in the abdomen and then taken into custody. He was given medical aid and transferred to the city’s EMS with reported critical injuries.
“No one within or associated with the White House was injured, and everyone in the White House is safe and accounted for,” a White House official stated. “The president has been made aware of the situation.”
The White House came out of lockdown around 4 p.m.,and more information came out about the incident. Namely, that investigators located the suspect’s vehicle near the shooting area and believed they had identified the man who approached the White House while armed.
The most shocking revelation though, was the president’s whereabouts: President Obama was golfing during the incident. Sadly, this is not surprising.