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A U.S. Secret Service agent assigned to protect former first lady Jill Biden accidentally shot himself in the leg Friday (March 27) at Philadelphia International Airport, officials confirmed.
The shooting happened just after 8:30 a.m. while the agent was on duty escorting Biden through the airport. According to Secret Service spokesperson Nate Herring, Biden was at the airport but was not present at the time of the incident.
Herring described the event as "a negligent discharge while handling a service weapon," and confirmed no one else was hurt. The agent received immediate medical attention at the airport before being transported to a nearby hospital, where he is listed in stable condition with a non-life-threatening injury.
"The Secret Service's Office of Professional Responsibility will be reviewing the facts and circumstances of this incident," Herring said. A spokesperson for Biden declined to offer additional comment.
Biden had been in New York on Wednesday (March 25) for the opening of an off-Broadway play written by her former chief of staff, former U.S. Ambassador Julissa Reynoso.
Under federal law, former presidents and first ladies receive lifetime Secret Service protection after leaving the White House. The Office of Professional Responsibility's review of the incident is expected to examine the full facts and circumstances surrounding the accidental discharge.