US Politics
Secret Service investigating reports of gunfire near Lafayette Park across from the White House
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Reports of gunfire near Lafayette Park across from the White House were being investigated, the U.S Secret Service said Sunday.
The park has been fenced off for weeks of renovations. No injuries were reported and a suspect was not found after a search of the park and the surrounding area shortly after midnight, the agency said.
President Trump is spending Easter weekend at the White House, which had no immediate comment on the incident. White House operations remained as normal, but security in the area was increased, according to the Secret Service.
The Secret Service said it was working with the District of Columbia police and the U.S. Park Police.
Lafayette Park is seven acres and directly north of the White House.
The land that comprises Lafayette Park had been used as a race track, a showplace for caged animals, a graveyard, a slave market, and an encampment for soldiers, as well as for many political protests and celebrations, according to the National Park Service.
The park was planned by architect Charles Bulfinch in 1821, and upon completion several years later, it was named for the first foreign guest of state to stay at the White House, General Marquis de Lafayette, NPS says on its website.
The historic efforts of President and Mrs. John F. Kennedy, in the 1960s, led to the preservation of the park and the buildings surrounding it. The area was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1970.
