Washington- Shocking news from America: There were shots fired near the White House. Two members of the National Guard were seriously injured. The suspected shooter is now in custody. Now there are the first details about the shooting.
The crime scene is only two blocks from the most famous government center in the world, the White House. Some National Guard troops were stationed there as planned. Based on witnesses’ reports, two shots were fired at around 14.20. (local time). Seconds later: chaos. People screamed, ran in all directions in panic, while sirens wailed and dozens of police poured out.
Members of the National Guard and a number of police cordoned off the block while the alleged perpetrator was arrested after a shootout
A rifle was found at the crime scene
Two members of the National Guard were seriously injured on the ground – one of whom was said to have suffered a gunshot wound to the head. Meanwhile, West Virginia Governor Patrick Morrisey declared that the soldier had been killed – he corrected the statement shortly afterward.
As reported by several US media, apparently there was a shootout between police officers and the perpetrator. The suspect who was shot was in police custody as of 3 p.m. According to US President Donald Trump, he was seriously injured and hospitalized.
Police officers later recovered a rifle from the scene. It is suspected that this was the murder weapon used in the shooting at the National Guard.
Here the suspected shooter, who was seriously injured, was loaded into an ambulance
After the shooting was discovered, Washington was in a state of emergency. Until the situation was under control, the plane’s landing was stopped. At Reagan National Airport, dozens of planes circled the sky until permission was given. The White House was also briefly closed.
JD Vance: The motive remains unclear
Neither President Trump nor his deputy, JD Vance, were in Washington at the time of the shooting. According to Vance, who is currently visiting soldiers at Fort Campbell (Kentucky), the background to the shooting is unclear. “We don’t know the motive yet,” JD Vance said. “There’s a lot we don’t know yet.”
It appears to have been a targeted attack carried out by a lone perpetrator, as the Mayor explained Wednesday afternoon. The FBI is involved in the investigation. The director assured that they will share more information with the public as soon as it is available.
An eyewitness filmed someone, thought to be the suspect, being overpowered by police
Previously there were threats against the National Guard
As the Washington Post reports, there have been several threats against the National Guard in Washington in the past. Court documents document several incidents in which soldiers were threatened with death and firearms during patrols.
Once the incident became known, President Donald Trump reacted immediately: He requested additional troops and ordered the deployment of 500 more National Guard troops to Washington, as confirmed by Secretary of War Pete Hegseth.
