Photo courtesy of History.com
The White House has been placed on lock down after reports of a shooting near west side of the complex, NBC News reports.
Per D.C. police, the shooting happened on 17th and Pennsylvania Avenue NW around 3 p.m. today.
A law enforcement official told CNN the Secret Service shot an armed man who approached the White House and brandished a weapon. That man was taken to the hospital in critical condition.
The suspect’s identity has not yet been released.
According to White House reports, President Obama wasn’t home at the time of the shooting. He left the White House around 1 p.m. to play a round of golf at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland. Vice President Joe Biden was in the house, however, and moved to a more secure location.
White House press tweeted that they were ordered to shelter in the basement, NBC News reports.
U.S. Park Police and the Secret Service are currently on the scene.
