Meadows cancels TV appearance due to shooting near home

White House chief of staff Mark Meadows was forced to cancel a television appearance on Monday morning after shots were fired near his home in Alexandria, Va.

Ben Williamson, an aide to the top Trump official, tweeted that Meadows was forced to cancel his interview due to a “security incident” near his home that was unrelated to him.

Meadows later told reporters that shots were fired near his apartment in Alexandria, forcing him to shelter in place for a period of time.

“Early this morning outside of my apartment in Virginia, there was an incident unrelated to me, but shots were fired and so I ended up having to shelter in place,” Meadows told reporters at the White House. “Hopefully, the officers involved will be safe and as it happened it was 5:45 a.m. this morning and so we ended up having a delayed start.”

Meadows was slated to appear on “Good Morning America” on Monday morning. Williamson said that his interview would be rescheduled for later in the week.

Alexandria police had ordered some residents in the area to shelter in place as police pursued a suspect linked to two shootings in North Old Town that left an officer injured. The police department said around 8:45 a.m. that a suspect had been located.

“A suspect in connection with two shootings in North Old Town has been located, and there is no current threat to public safety. The Alexandria Police Department appreciates the community’s support and assistance this morning,” the Alexandria Police Department tweeted.

A suspect in connection with two shootings in North Old Town has been located, and there is no current threat to public safety. The Alexandria Police Department appreciates the community’s support and assistance this morning.

— Alexandria Police (@AlexandriaVAPD) October 26, 2020

Meadows is among a handful of White House officials who appear regularly in television to answer questions about and defend President Trump’s agenda. He appeared on CNN on Sunday to answer questions about the coronavirus pandemic and recent cases in the White House. Meadows has been criticized for saying that the U.S. is “not going to control” the pandemic.