2 National Guard members shot near White House

By CAMPBELL ROBERTSON, ANTON TROIANOVSKI and KAROUN DEMIRJIAN

Two members of the West Virginia National Guard were shot near the White House on Wednesday afternoon, the state’s governor said, adding that there were conflicting reports about their survival after earlier saying they had died.

The guard members were part of a deployment ordered in August by President Donald Trump. The shooter was also badly hurt, the president said in a post on social media, adding that they would “pay a very steep price.” Local officials confirmed that they had a suspect in custody.

Many details about the shooting, which took place about 2:15 p.m., were still unclear. Officials were planning an impromptu news conference this afternoon near the site of the shooting where new details could be disclosed.

Tim Moye, 48, who is in town for Thanksgiving and visiting his son who he said works in the White House, was in the area when he heard what he described as five shots. “I just saw a bunch of people start running as soon as those shots came,” he said.

Here are the details:

— Where it happened: Dozens of emergency responders and police vehicles were amassed at the corner of 17th and I Streets NW near the entrance of a hotel, just northwest of the White House. Local police had cordoned off several blocks as emergency workers tended to one of the apparent victims.

— White House lockdown: The White House was initially put under condition red, which signifies a potential threat to life. It was downgraded to orange, which indicates “high risk,” once it was clear the suspect was in custody. Trump and other top aides were not on the White House grounds Wednesday.

— Controversial deployment: The attack comes amid Trump’s highly contentious deployment of more than 2,000 National Guard troops across the streets and subway stations of Washington, D.C., with many of them concentrated in tourist spots downtown. Last week, a federal judge ordered a temporary suspension of the deployment, which began in August, finding that it was likely illegal.