US PRESIDENT Donald Trump was briefly escorted out of a press briefing after a shooting outside the White House.
Mr Trump was issuing a briefing in the White House yesterday evening (GMT) when a Secret Service agent walked on stage before speaking into his ear and leading him away.
The president was taken to the Oval Office where it became apparent that there had been a shooting in the area and a man in his 50's had been shot by a Secret Service agent.
According to the US Secret Service, a man approached an agent on the corner of 17th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue where he claimed to have weapons and assumed a "shooter's stance" before running "aggressively" towards the officer.
The man was shot in the torso by the agent, who subsequently administered first aid, and the man was then taken to hospital to be treated for his injuries.
The agent involved in the shooting was also taken to hospital, a statement from the Department of Homeland Security said, but "the White House Complex was not breached during the incident" and President Trump was never in danger.
Mr Trump returned to the press briefing following the incident and told reported "Law enforcement shot someone. It seems to be the suspect."
"It might not have had anything to do with me," he added.
Stating that he was not "rattled" by the event, Mr Trump said "It's unfortunate that this is the world, but the world's always been a dangerous place."
The statement issued by the Secret Service did not indicate whether the man had been armed, but confirmed an investigation was underway.
