Man shoots himself dead in front of White House

A man fatally shot himself on the crowded pedestrian avenue directly in front of the White House on Saturday, parking panic and sending the parts of the US capital into lockdown.

“Adult male has been declared deceased,” the Washington, DC Police Department said on Twitter.

The Secret Service said a white male approached the fence north of the White House at about 11:46am, “removed a concealed handgun and fired several rounds, none of which appear at this time to have been directed towards the White House.”

The man’s identity is being withheld pending notification of kin, the Secret Service said in a statement.

While as many as 100 people mostly tourists – were on Pennsylvania Avenue in front of the White House at the time, no one else was reported hurt, the Secret Service said.

Crowds of people ran away from the area as police and medical personnel quickly swarmed the area, and the White House was placed on lockdown.