WH attacker shot by Secret Service identified [Video]

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW:

• The suspect in the White House shooting incident during Monday’s briefing was identified as Myron Berryman, 51, from Forestville, Maryland.
• Berryman was shot twice by a Secret Service agent outside the White House after threatening to attack.
• Trump was pulled out by the Secret Service from the briefing and into the Oval office.

The assailant who was shot by the Secret Service outside the White House on Monday evening was a 51-year-old man from Maryland. The incident prompted President Donald Trump’s aides to abruptly escort him out of the press briefing room while his speech was ongoing. 

According to D.C. police, the suspect is identified as Myron Berryman of Forestville, Maryland. He is charged with assaulting a police officer. 

Minutes before 6 pm, Berryman came in contact with a uniformed Secret Service agent who was placed about a block from the White House complex. He told the agent that he was carrying a weapon and planning to use it ⏤ although a law enforcement officer, who was not authorized to comment, later said that the object the suspect was carrying was not a firearm.

“The suspect then turned around, ran aggressively towards the officer, and in a drawing motion, withdrew an object from his clothing. He then crouched into a shooter’s stance as if about to fire a weapon,” the Secret Service said in a statement.

The law enforcement officer, who said that Berryman was shot twice at his torso, did not identify the object Berryman said he had. The 51-year-old suspect was listed in a stable condition at a local hospital.

The Secret Service agent who encountered Berryman was also taken to a local hospital. He did not obtain any injury but he was being assessed by doctors.

Based on Maryland court records, Berryman was arrested in 2012 for violations of resisting arrest and failure to comply with a lawful order.

The incident prompted the Secret Service to interrupt Trump’s live news briefing and accompany the president to exit the podium as a precautionary measure. The White House complex remained secured and no government officials were in danger.

Trump expressed a bit of concern about his safety. “The world has always been a dangerous place,” he said. “That’s not something that’s unique.” 

Trump returned to the podium about 10 minutes later, providing some updates about the shooting then he resumed his briefing about the stock market.

Reporters inside the White House said that the building went into lockdown shortly after the shooting.

Lockdowns could be imposed at the White House for cases like the following: nearby shooters, breaches in the perimeter area, and suspicious bags left. It was a rare event that lockdown occurred while the president was on stage and more exceptional for the president to be rushed out by the Secret Service while giving an address.

“Spent twelve years in the Secret Service and I’ve never seen that before,” Former Secret Service agent and Republican commentator Dan Bongino tweeted.

Source: USA Today