Man shoots himself dead in front of White House

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The White House was placed on lockdown and the surrounding area cordoned off by emergency personnel Saturday after an apparent gunshot was heard.

The US Secret Service said on Twitter that it was responding "to reports of a person who allegedly suffered a self-inflicted gunshot wound along the north fence line of @White House."

It said medical personnel were "responding to the male victim," but that there were "no other reported injuries." The victim's identity was not immediately known.

President Donald Trump was not at the White House at the time. He is spending the weekend at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida. Reporters tweeting from the White House briefing room said they had been told to shelter in place.

Police cars and ambulances swarmed to the area minutes after the incident. Disturbances outside the White House are not rare.

The man who shot himself in front of the White House on Saturday was dead, said local police.

The man, who was not identified yet, was in a large crowd when he fired the gun, the Washington Post reported, citing witnesses.

One video posted on social media showed hundreds of people running away as sirens blared in the background and emergency vehicles sped toward the scene.

Secret Service spokeswoman Cathy Milhoan said the male suffered a single gunshot wound and that Secret Service personnel didn't fire any shots.

The incident came days after a vehicle hit a security barrier near the White House, resulting in the arrest and charge of a 35-year-old female driver.

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Source(s): Xinhua News Agency