Possible gunshots reported near White House, press rushed inside — NewsNation Live

[0:00] We have breaking news to report at this time possible shots fired near the White House News [0:05] Nation's Chris Flanagan who we just heard from at the top of the hour was moved off property and his [0:10] position in front of the White House. He joins us now through the phone. Chris tell me a little bit [0:15] about what you saw and what you heard at this hour. Yeah so Alex as soon as we got done with [0:20] our live hit with you guys on Live Nation News Nation Live about a minute or so later we heard [0:26] about maybe 25, 30, 35 pops sound like M80s. We're told there were gunshots. The Secret Service [0:36] rushed all the reporters. We're on the North Lawn doing our live shots. Rushed everybody in to the [0:43] press briefing room and is on lockdown right now and the Secret Service just swarming the area by [0:51] we heard the shots right behind us by the Executive Eisenhower Executive Office Building [0:57] by 17th Street here in northwest Washington, D.C. It should be noted the president is in the White [1:04] House. As we mentioned the lid he wasn't going to talk again you know for the night but he was [1:12] in the White House. They evacuated. Again all the reporters right now were huddled in a lockdown [1:18] in the press briefing room not allowed to get out but we can see out the windows [1:22] on the North Lawn the Secret Service is just swarming the area you know looking for the shooter [1:29] and you know no word yet if you know they've gotten anybody but that's that's what happened [1:34] we heard about yeah probably 30 gunshots. Yeah Chris has anyone of authority Secret Service or [1:40] otherwise confirmed that it was gunshots for sure? Is it possible that it might be firecrackers or [1:45] something like that? It could be it could be when they were rushing us down to the press room they [1:51] press briefing room they said gunshots gunshots but nobody's coming yet to confirm that but when [1:57] they were you know hustling us into the press briefing room they said get down get down gunshots. [2:02] Wow and Chris can you give us a sense on where you typically are when outside of the White House [2:07] where the reporters line up for their live shots and then also on top of that compare that location [2:13] to where you heard the possible gunfire coming from? Sure we are on the north side typically of the [2:20] White House so when the helicopter lands we're on the other side on the north side the north lawn [2:26] of the White House and if you're looking straight after the White House we're kind of to the right [2:31] and there's a row of maybe 12 to 15 green awnings and tents that's where the network all have their [2:39] live shots on the networks and we were just wrapping up with you on News Nation and the gunshots the road [2:48] right behind us or the driveway right behind us you know divides the White House and the Eisenhower [2:54] executive building and the 17th Street we must have been right up against it we were probably [3:01] I mean maybe a couple hundred yards I imagine from from the road and from uh the the shots or or [3:09] fireworks whatever uh the sound so we were the closest uh to it um and it was just again it was [3:18] about 25 or 30 just rapid one after another again no confirmation yet if it is gunshots but the secret [3:25] service when they were hustling us down said get down gunshots gunshots yeah Chris I don't presume [3:31] uh to know where the president is and I'm sure you don't either we do know he is within the White [3:37] House what can you tell us about the level of protections the president would have when something [3:42] like this happens say god forbid it was gunshots that occurred what sort of action would the secret [3:48] service take and where would the president typically be or go well it depends where he was um obviously [3:54] the White House one of the most fortified uh buildings in the world they have protocols for [3:59] this the windows are all bulletproof um you know everything is bulletproof and to get in there's [4:06] so many rings to get into the White House complex not even just the White House um you know for instance [4:12] when I show up there's an outer ring everybody has to pass through all the media and then you make you [4:20] get through that clearance and then you go through a building a small little hut building actually [4:26] and you get screened again by more secret service um so it's it's pretty it's pretty thorough just to [4:34] you know get into the complex but the president yeah they will I assume usher him to a safe spot [4:39] um but he obviously is you know in good hands with the secret service and all the windows again are all [4:45] bulletproof yeah let's roll that video back just from moments ago for our viewers at home this was [4:49] video taken from the camera where Chris Flanagan typically does his live shots it was rolling however it's a [4:56] little bit blurry but as you can see these are various people I assume news agencies reporters [5:01] producers that are essentially running after hearing those gunfire shortly after that you see various [5:06] secret service agents storm and push people out to safety Chris give us a sense of what that moment was [5:12] like hearing that possible gunfire and then moving towards the direction that secret service was pushing [5:18] you towards right so it was out as soon as you heard the gunshots everyone kind of just froze like [5:23] wait a minute are those gunshots and then immediately we just ran for it in the secret [5:30] service uh simultaneously cleared everybody and because it's a Saturday night um it's not as busy [5:38] as it say it would be on a weekday here with all the network reporters um and photographers [5:45] thank you for watching subscribe below and download our news nation app right now on your phone and you [5:50] will get fact-based unbiased news for all Americans