A person who approached a White House security checkpoint and began firing at officers has died, according to federal officials.<\/p>\n
The White House was briefly locked down on Saturday after a sustained volley of gunshots was heard by reporters for multiple outlets. <\/p>\n
In a statement<\/a>, the US Secret Service said that, shortly after 6pm local time, a man approached a checkpoint at a White House gate near 17th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue NW, took out a pistol and fired. Secret Service officers, who protect the US president and vice-president, returned fire, the agency said, \u201cstriking the suspect, who was transported to an area hospital, where he later died\u201d.<\/p>\n During the shooting, a bystander was also shot. \u201cIt remains unclear whether the bystander was struck by the suspect\u2019s initial gunfire or during the subsequent exchange of gunfire,\u201d the Secret Service said. \u201cNo injuries were sustained by Secret Service personnel. The President was at the White House during the incident but was not impacted.\u201d<\/p>\n Earlier, Selina Wang, a White House correspondent for ABC News, shared video<\/a> on social media of the sound of gunfire interrupting her as she recorded a report on US negotiations with Iran. In the clip, Wang could be seen diving to take cover as what \u201csounded like dozens of gunshots\u201d rang out.<\/p>\n \u201cWe were told to sprint to the press briefing room, where we are holding now,\u201d Wang added.<\/p>\n The FBI director, Kash Patel, posted<\/a>: \u201cFBI is on the scene and supporting Secret Service responding to shots fired near White House grounds \u2013 we will update the public as we\u2019re able.\u201d<\/p>\n Donald Trump said earlier that he was in the Oval Office but did not immediately comment on the reported gunfire.<\/p>\n Chris Flanagan, an anchor for the local news channel DC News Now who took cover in the White House briefing room, reported<\/a> that about 30 shots were fired, but that the security lockdown had been lifted.<\/p>\n A CBS News producer also estimated that at least 20 shots had been fired, and the the Secret Service said in a statement<\/a> at about 6:45pm local time that it was \u201caware of reports of shots fired near 17th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue NW and are working to corroborate the information with personnel on the ground\u201d.<\/p>\n