By Jana Winter
WASHINGTON, May 23 (Reuters) – Officers shot a suspect who fired at a White House checkpoint on Saturday evening, who then died after being taken to the hospital, the Secret Service said.
A person approached the checkpoint at 17th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue near the White House, pulled a gun out of his bag and started shooting at officers, according to a Secret Service statement posted on social media. Officers returned fire and shot the suspect, the agency said.
A bystander was also struck by gunfire, but it was not clear how badly the person was hurt, according to a separate Secret Service statement cited by multiple news outlets. The statement said it was not clear who fired the shot that hit the bystander.
The shooting suspect was identified as an emotionally disturbed person, a law enforcement official told Reuters, adding that a “stay-away order” had been issued to him previously.
No law enforcement personnel were injured, the Secret Service said.
President Donald Trump was at the White House during the incident, the Secret Service said.
(Reporting by Jana Winter and Rodrigo Campos; Additional reporting by Ryan Patrick Jones in Toronto; Writing by Rodrigo Campos; Editing by Sergio Non and David Gregorio)
