Secret Service Says Bullet Struck the White House
After a shooting incident in Washington, D.C. Friday, the Secret Service has found a bullet in the White House.
The bullet is believed to have struck the ballistic glass of an exterior window after shots were heard fired 700-800 yards away from the White House on Friday, according to AP. Witnesses heard gunfire and saw two speeding vehicles during the night, and an AK-47 rifle was recovered.
A bodyguard in charge of protecting the president and other top officials has begun an investigation into the incident, the service said in a statement.
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The bullet damage to the White House “has not been conclusively connected to Friday’s incident, and an assessment of the exterior of the White House is ongoing,” concluded the statement from the service.
The Secret Service issued an arrest warrant for Oscar Ortega-Hernandez who is believed to be connected to a prior shooting incident, but it did not add any other details surrounding Friday’s events.
The U.S. Park Police has released photos of Ortega-Hernandez and are asking the public to help locate him. They say that he is white Hispanic, 5-feet-11 and 160 pounds. The suspected gunman has many tattoos: three dots on his right hand, “Ortega” on his upper back, and “Israel” on the left side of his neck, the LA Times reported.
Neither President Obama nor the first lady were at the White House at the time of the shooting Friday. The Obamas were at the Carrier Classic basketball game in Coronado, Calif. at the time.
As the official residence of the president of the U.S., the White House is ranked second on the American Institute of Architects list of “American’s Favorite Architecture.”
In the past the White House was open to the public, but the threat of terrorism has now prevented visitors from taking tours.
