News just broke that the The White House is currently on lockdown following a shooting that occurred nearby. Although reports haven’t yet confirmed what exactly happened (law enforcement is still at the scene), The Hill reports that the incident took place near “the executive branch complex.”
No deaths have been reported, but one person was shot by law enforcement and then transported to the hospital in critical condition. While the full report of what happened hasn’t yet been released, it appears that the shooter was going through a secret service checkpoint when he took out a gun and began threatening others with it. Law enforcement quickly took action and cleared out the area. ABC reports that snipers appeared on roofs immediately following the incident.
President Obama was not at the mansion at the time of the shooting, but everyone inside was ordered to go into the basement and “shelter in place,” according to Cheryl Bolen, White House Reporter for Bloomberg.
No one has yet been allowed to leave the mansion (as of 30 minutes ago), although some people are leaving the basement and entering the briefing room to await further information.
The scene in the @WhiteHouse briefing room. @rollcall @CQnow pic.twitter.com/wK3bFCMZaH
— John T. Bennett (@BennettJohnT) May 20, 2016
(Via ABC News)