Trump returned to the briefing room minutes later and confirmed a shooting.
“There was a shooting sport outside the White House and it seems to be very well under control. I want to thank the Secret Service for their always fast and very effective work,” Trump said when he returned.
The Secret Service said in a statement late Monday night that the incident began when a 51-year-old man approached a Secret Service Officer on 17th Street Northwest and Pennsylvania Avenue Northwest at the White House.
“The suspect approached the officer and told the officer that he had a weapon. The suspect then turned around, walked aggressively towards the officer, and in a drawing motion pulled an object out of his clothing,” the statement said.
“He then crawled into the shooter’s posture, as if stabbing him over a weapon. The Secret Service officer fired his weapon and hit the individual in the torso.”
Two law enforcement sources told CNN that the injured person was without weapons.
The White House complex, the Secret Service said, was not compromised during the incident “and no Secret Service protectors were ever in danger.”
The Secret Service of Professional Responsibility will conduct an internal review of the officer’s conduct, the statement added.
The incident interrupted Trump’s briefing in rarely seen fashion.
Trump had been at noon at the first attempt at a briefing when security came into the room and asked him to leave the area.
“Excuse me?” Trump asked as he approached security.
“Step outside,” said the agent.
“Oh,” Trump said before leaving the room.
When Trump returned to the briefing room, he said he was taken to the Oval Office when he was evacuated.
“I feel very safe with the Secret Service. Those are fantastic people. They are the best of the best. They are highly trained,” Trump told reporters when he returned. “They just wanted me to step up for a while to make sure everything outside was clear.”
Trump said he had asked if White House facilities were being broken into.
“I do not think the person has done anything wrong,” he added. “I do not believe anything has been created. I have asked that question.”
This story has been updated with information from the Secret Service.
CNN’s Paul LeBlanc, David Shortell and Whitney Wild contributed to this report.
.
