BREAKING NEWS: US White House On Lockdown After Shooting Nearby

Federal law enforcement officials on Friday were investigating a shooting near the White House, the United States Park Police said.

The White House and Treasury Department were on lockdown while the police investigated. The man, who has not been identified, was shot by a Secret Service uniformed officer, the agency said in a post on its Twitter account.

President Obama was away at the time, playing golf at Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland.

Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. was secured “within the White House complex” during the shooting, said Meghan Dubyak, a spokeswoman.

The Secret Service Uniformed Division, which is in charge of protecting the White House, has come under scrutiny in recent years after a string of embarrassing incidents on the White House grounds.

In September 2014, a man who climbed over the fence on the north lawn, eluded officers and made it through the front door of the White House before being apprehended. Several days later, the director of the Secret Service, Julie Pierson, was forced to resign.

Since then, the Secret Service has significantly expanded training for the officers and beefed up security around the fence.

via NYTimes