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Secret Service Officer Who Shot Man Outside White House Mistook Comb for Weapon: Docs

Myron Berryman was shot outside the White House, prompting the Secret Service to whisk President Trump out of a televised coronavirus briefing.

New court documents reveal that a man with schizophrenia who was shot by Secret Service outside the White House this month—prompting President Trump to be whisked out of a televised press briefing—was only holding a comb rather than a weapon, according to the Washington Post. Myron Berryman, 51, was handcuffed to his hospital bed and charged with a count of assault after allegedly announcing to a uniformed officer that he was armed and reaching for an object. It was only after the officer shot Berryman that he realized he’d mistaken the black comb in the man’s pocket for a gun. Internal police reports of the incident claimed that Berryman had threatened to kill and shoot the officer, but these allegations were not contained in the latest court documents. Berryman, who admitted he hadn’t taken his medication for years, has since been moved to a psychiatric hospital. Another court date is scheduled for January.