US President Donald Trump says a person has been shot outside the White House, forcing a Secret Service agent to escort him from the press briefing room.
Mr Trump said he understood the person who was shot was armed and was taken to hospital. No-one else was injured.
“It was a shooting outside of the White House,” Mr Trump said.
“It seems to be very well under control … But there was an actual shooting, and somebody has been taken to the hospital. I don’t know the condition of the person.”
Mr Trump said two shots were fired in “rapid succession’ during the incident.
He said the shooting was “near the edge of the White House grounds” and he was taken to the Oval Office while “law enforcement” dealt with the situation.
Trump was ushered from press room as incident unfolded
Mr Trump was a few minutes into a scheduled press briefing when a member of the Secret Service walked on stage and cut him off mid-sentence.
He was escorted from the room along with several administration officials who had joined him for the press briefing.
Journalists were locked inside the room during the incident, and armed police were seen outside, guarding the exits.
The shooting took place near 17th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue, just blocks from the White House, according to two sources with knowledge of the situation who were not authorised to speak publicly about it, according to the Associated Press.
The area is just west of Lafayette Square, the park in front of the White House that was recently the scene of clashes between demonstrators and authorities during the Black Lives Matter protests.
The suspect was transferred to a local hospital, and the District of Columbia fire department said the man suffered serious or possibly critical injuries.
Authorities were investigating the suspect’s motive, and whether they had a history of mental illness, AP reported.
Mr Trump later resumed the press conference and praised the work of Secret Service personnel for their work in keeping him safe.
Reporters asked Mr Trump if he was shaken by the incident.
“I don’t know. Do I seem rattled?” Mr Trump said.
“It’s unfortunate that this is a world, but the world’s always been a dangerous place. It’s not something that’s unique.”
Credit: ABC