Rabat – Secret service agents escorted US President Donald Trump out of a news conference after a shooting occurred outside the White House on Monday, August 10.
An agent walked on stage and whispered something in Trump’s ear before leading him away. After being briefly escorted to the Oval Office, the president returned minutes later to report the shooting and confirm that everything was under control.
“There was a shooting outside of the White House and it seems to be very well under control. I’d like to thank the Secret Service for doing their always quick and very effective work,” Trump said. He added high praise for his security service officers.
“I feel very safe with the Secret Service. They’re fantastic people. They’re the best of the best. They’re highly trained,” Trump told reporters. “They just wanted me to step aside for a little while just to make sure that everything was clear outside.”
The US Secret Service said the shooting happened on the corner of 17th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue, outside the perimeter of the White House.
According to a press statement, an unidentified 51-year-old man approached an officer, told him he had weapons, and assumed a “shooter’s stance.” In response, the officer shot the man in the torso. The officer also claimed that the suspect ran “aggressively” towards him.
Both the officer and the suspect were taken to the hospital. The Secret Service did not say whether the man was armed, however two law enforcement sources told CNN the wounded person did not actually have a weapon.
The statement confirmed that “at no time during this incident was the White House complex breached.”
When a journalist asked the president if he was rattled by the event, he replied: “Do I seem rattled?”
“It’s unfortunate that this is the world, but the world’s always been a dangerous place. It’s not something unique,” he added.
Trump said he did not know if he was being targeted by the person.
“It might not have had anything to do with me,” he said.
