Suspect shot at White House gate

he White House was placed on lockdown and the suspect
was taken to the hospital

The suspect was brandishing a weapon, and a uniformed Secret Service officer gave him "numerous verbal commands for the subject to stop and drop the firearm," said Secret Service spokesman Samuel Reed Jr. The officer shot the suspect once, and he was taken to a local hospital.

The Associated Press, quoting anonymous law enforcement officials, identified the suspect as Jesse Oliveri of Ashland, Penn.

Reporters in the White House briefing room said they were told to shelter in place in the White House basement. Secret Service sharpshooters could be seen on the roof of the White House training their weapons in the direction of the shooting.

With temperatures in the low 70s, Pennsylvania Avenue was packed with tourists Friday afternoon. Secret Service told people to evacuate the area and pushed a safety perimeter at least another block from the White House.

Steve Snider, a tourist from Seattle, said he was on Pennsylvania Avenue taking photos of the White House when the Secret Service started screaming for everyone to clear the street.

"The first thing I knew, they were screaming for us to get back from the White House," he said. "It was scary."

Obama had left the White House shortly after 1 p.m. for a rare Friday golf outing because he's leaving for Vietnam on Saturday. His motorcade left out of a gate on the eastern end of the White House complex, away from where the shooting took place.

Vice President Biden was in the White House complex and was immediately secured after the shooting, his office said.



Tom Vanden Brook, Michael Collins and Donovan Slack contributed.
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