Two members of the National Guard were shot near the White House on Wednesday afternoon, Kristi Noem, the homeland security secretary, said on message on social media, according to The New York Times. The local police said one suspect was in custody.
According to US media and international news agencies dozens of emergency responders and police vehicles were amassed at the corner of 17th and I Streets NW, near the entrance of a hotel just northwest of the White House. Local police had cordoned off several blocks of the surrounding area as emergency workers tended to the apparent victim, who was loaded into an ambulance with his mouth and nose covered in blood.
CNN reports that US President Donald Trump has been briefed on the shooting, press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement.
“The White House is aware and actively monitoring this tragic situation,” Leavitt said, adding, “The President has been briefed.”
National Guard troops from multiple states have been in Washington, DC, for months as part of President Donald Trump’s anti-crime crackdown in the nation’s capital, which has since expanded to other cities across the country.