Gunman shot down by Secret Service agents outside White House
A gun-wielding man was shot in the chest by Secret Service agents outside a White House gate in chilling CCTV made public for the first time.
Footage of the May 20 incident shows Jesse Olivieri walking toward the south entrance to a security checkpoint with what appears to be a handgun in his right hand.
The 31-year-old Pennsylvania man walks casually past a police vehicle and drops to the ground as Secret Service officers shoot in the chest.
Agents swarm toward him and kick the weapon away before placing him in custody, leaving Mr Olivieri clutching at his chest and stomach area.
The footage has no audio, but according to the agents, Mr Olivieri refused orders to drop his gun.
One officer claims that after the gunman was shot he said: "I came here to shoot people."
He was later charged with one felony count of resisting arrest with a dangerous weapon, which is a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.
Mr Olivieri, who had been hospitalised following the shooting, appeared in federal court in a wheelchair and was ordered to remain in custody.
The Washington Post reports Mr Olivieri’s lawyer, Loui Itoh, requested home detention because he didn't point the gun toward anybody.
Mr Itoh argued that his client “never pointed or shot the handgun at anyone, had no prior criminal record, was living with his parents, had received psychiatric treatment from two hospitals and is now under medication.”
But US Magistrate Judge G. Michael Harvey ruled Mr Olivieri is still a threat to the public.
“I do find that Mr. Olivieri is a danger both to himself and the community,” Judge Harvey said.
“This is a serious crime, a crime of violence involving law enforcement officers whose job it is to protect the perimeter of the White House.”
Such attempts to breach the perimeter are not uncommon.
Last year, the Secret Service apprehended Joseph Caputo, a 23-year-old Conneticut man, after he jumped over a White House fence as the first family was inside celebrating Thanksgiving.
Mr Caputo was at least the third person to jump the fence in 2015, CNN reports.
