US President Donald Trump has had to abruptly interrupt a televised press conference at the White House on Monday afternoon, and a secret service agent has escorted him out of the press room. Upon his return, minutes later, the president explained that shots had been fired outside the building, but that everything was "under control."
"There have been shots and someone has been taken to the hospital," Trump said. Secret Service agents, he explained, "have shot a suspect" who, according to the president, was armed. No other person, according to Trump, has been injured.
The shots occurred after 5:00 p.m. (local time) a few blocks from the White House, as confirmed by the Secret Service on Twitter, and agents were still trying to determine what the suspect's intentions were. He has been taken to a hospital after sustaining very serious injuries, according to the fire department. The authorities have not clarified what was the trigger for the altercation.
The president, who was giving a press conference on the coronavirus crisis and the economy, has assured that he has not lost his cool. "Do I look nervous?" He asked reporters. "It's a shame, but the world has always been a dangerous place."