The Washington, D.C., Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) has surveillance video of Monday’s shooting near the White House, Fox News reported on Monday.
“Sources told Fox News Monday that the DC MPD has surveillance video of the shooting that took place Monday evening,” the network reported, but said it is unknown at this point if the footage will be released.
The U.S. Secret Service (USSS) on Monday provided details about the shooting in a post on Twitter. A 51-year-old male approached a Uniformed Division officer at his post on the corner of 17th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue, just a half a block from the White House, the USSS said in a statement. The man told the agent he had a weapon and then took off in a sprint and “in a drawing motion, withdrew an object from his clothing,” the statement said.
The suspect then “crouched into a shooter’s stance as if about to fire a weapon,” and the USSS officer fired his weapon, striking the subject in the torso. “At no time during this incident was the White House complex breached or were any protectees in danger,” the Service said.
“Officers immediately rendered first aid to the suspect and D.C. Fire and EMS were called to the scene,” the statement said. “Both the suspect and the officer were transported to local hospitals. The White House Complex was not breached during the incident and no Secret Service protectees were ever in danger.”
Statement from U.S. Secret Service on officer involved shooting: pic.twitter.com/vMP9ypuNh5
— U.S. Secret Service (@SecretService) August 11, 2020
In a short press conference late Monday night, Secret Service and MPD officials said an investigation is underway. “The Secret Service Office of Professional Responsibility will be conducting an internal review of the officer’s actions,” USSS Chief Tom Sullivan said. “The Metropolitan Police Department was contacted to conduct an investigation.”
MPD Assistant Chief Jeff Carroll added that “members of the MPD Criminal Investigation Division are assisting with the ongoing investigation of the incident occurred here at the White House.”
“Additionally, members of the Internal Affairs Division are assisting the Office of Professional Responsibility of the Uniform Division Secret Service that their investigation as well,” he said. “At this point, the Metropolitan Police Department is in a supporting role while the United States Secret Service.”
The incident occurred during a White House press conference and Secret Service agents entered the room and escorted President Trump out of the room while the situation was being assessed.
Trump later returned to the room and was asked by a reporter, “Are you rattled by this at all, Mr. President?”
“Do I seem rattled?” 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. The world has been … You look back over the centuries. The world has been a dangerous place, very dangerous place, and it will continue, I guess, for a period of time.”
“I feel very safe with Secret Service. They’re fantastic people. They’re the best of the best and they’re highly trained,” Trump said. “I don’t know if anybody got to walk outside, but there were a lot of terrific looking people ready to go if something was necessary, people at the highest level of law enforcement. There’s nobody like these people. So they just wanted me to step aside for a little while just to make sure that everything was cleared outside because it was right in this area.”
Related: Secret Service Releases Update On Shooting That Happened Outside White House