The White House was put in lockdown on Saturday afternoon after a man shot himself dead at the North Lawn.

The shooting happened at around noon and sparked panic inside as staff were told to shelter in place.

The man was pronounced dead at the scene.

Scroll down for video

The man pulled a gun on himself outside the White House's North Lawn at around noon on Saturday. He was pronounced dead at the scene and no one else was hurt

This is the car police say belonged to him. They worked at it throughout the afternoon after he was declared dead

Political journalists sheltered in the briefing room and tweeted first about the incident.

Not long afterwards, the Secret Service said it was a person who had shot themselves.

The president is at Mar-a-Lago with the First Lady and Barron. He is due to return to Washington DC on Saturday.

NBC's White House correspondent Geoff Bennett tweeted first about the incident .

'We're sheltering in place at the White House briefing room. A report of "shots fired" near North Lawn, per a U.S. Secret Service agent.

'Trying to learn more,' he said.

Police are seen working at the scene after the shooting. They will not confirm yet if the man is alive or dead

None of the First Family were in the White House at the time but it was still put in lockdown

The FBI worked at the scene throughout the afternoon. The incident brought traffic to a standstill for a short while

Tourists who were in the area shared reports of hearing 'shots fired'. They were unaware if there was any threat to them or anyone else.

Within minutes of the shooting, the Secret Service calmed panic.

The DC Police department confirmed the man's death at around 2pm

'Secret Service personnel are responding to reports of a person who allegedly suffered a self-inflicted gunshot wound along the north fence line of White House.

'No other reported injuries related to the incident,' it tweeted.

President Trump is aware of the shooting, according to White House officials.

He spent the morning golfing in Mar-a-Lago and had not long returned to his residence there when news of the shooting emerged.

On Saturday, he tweeted about the 'mainstream media' and the US's trade deficit but did not mention the shooting.

The president is in Florida. He played golf on Saturday morning and is pictured returning to Mar-a-Lago afterwards

Trump hid his face as he returned to Mar-a-Lago after a round of golf on Saturday morning