WASHINGTON: Two members of the National Guard were shot and killed in Washington on Wednesday near the White House, officials said, putting the building into lockdown with President Donald Trump away in Florida and drawing a massive law enforcement response to the area.

West Virginia Governor Patrick Morrisey said in a post on X that both victims were members of his state’s National Guard and had died from their injuries. The White House reposted his statement.

Police in Washington said one suspect was in custody and that the area was secured.

Trump is at his resort in Palm Beach ahead of Thursday’s Thanksgiving holiday, while US Vice President JD Vance is in Kentucky.

In a social media post, Trump called the suspected shooter an “animal” who was also “severely wounded.” It was not clear how the suspect had been injured, but CNN reported the two Guard members engaged the attacker in gunfire before they were shot.

The shooting unfolded near Farragut Square, a popular lunch spot for office workers just a few blocks away from the White House. The park, whose light posts are wrapped in wreaths and bows for the holiday season, is flanked by fast-casual restaurants and a coffee shop, as well as two metro stops.

Stacey Walters, 43, was in an Uber near the White House around 2:15 p.m. ET (1915 GMT) when she heard two loud booms and saw young children and other pedestrians running from the scene.

She said she heard someone yell “Help! Help!” and saw what appeared to be US Secret Service agents running after someone in a hooded sweatshirt.

The incident appeared to have triggered a response from the full range of Washington security agencies, from the Secret Service to the Metropolitan Police and the Metro Transit Police.

National Guard soldiers have been in Washington since August, when Trump deployed them to the streets as part of his crackdown on immigration and crime in Democratic-led cities. As of Wednesday, there were about 2,200 National Guard troops in Washington, including troops from the district as well as Louisiana, Mississippi, Ohio, South Carolina, West Virginia, Georgia and Alabama.

Trump, a Republican, has suggested repeatedly that crime has disappeared from the capital as a result of the deployment, which was heavily criticized by Democrats.