Trump abruptly pulled from briefing after shots fired outside White House

President Donald Trump was abruptly escorted out of a White House press conference on Monday after shots were fired outside of the White House.

The suspect was taken to the hospital and no one else was injured, Trump said.

The Secret Service released a statement late Monday night that said a 51-year-old man approached an officer at a post on the White House perimeter and said he had a weapon. The suspect then “ran aggressively” toward the officer, pulled an object from his clothing and crouched into a “shooter’s stance” as if he was going to fire a weapon, the statement said.

The officer fired at the man, striking him the torso.

The Secret Service said earlier Monday that the suspect and the officer had been transported to an area hospital.

Tom Sullivan, chief of the Secret Service Uniformed Division who read the statement to reporters, did not answer questions about any injuries the officer might have suffered or whether the suspect had a weapon.

Sullivan said that at no time was the White House complex breached or that anyone inside the complex was in danger.

Trump said after he returned to the briefing that he was not aware of the specifics of the threat.

"It seems to be very well under control," Trump said. "It's unfortunate that this is the world but the world has always been a dangerous place. It's not something that's unique."

Reporters in the room were placed on lockdown while authorities investigated the situation.

After being taken to the Oval Office, the president returned to the briefing room around 10 minutes later to resume his briefing, which was focused on the coronavirus pandemic. After addressing the shooting, Trump picked up where he left off.

"So I was telling you that the Dow Jones and the S&P 500 are now 50 percent above the March level," he said. "NASDAQ is setting new records."