Questions are being asked about the use of gunfire by police to subdue a homeless man brandishing a knife in front of the White House Tuesday.
Marcelino Corniel, 33, was shot twice by U.S. Park Police on Pennsylvania Avenue near the mansion's northeast gate.
Late Tuesday, he underwent additional surgery and was in very critical condition.
He may face charges of assaulting a federal officer.
President Clinton was in the Oval Office at the time of the 9 a.m. ET incident, but was not in danger and not connected to Corniel's action, officials say.
Witnesses say Corniel, one of the homeless in Lafayette Park across from the White House, crossed Pennsylvania Avenue shouting at police and holding a hunting knife.
A video shows five police then surrounding Corniel, who stood motionless, the knife taped to his hand, suddenly looks to his left as an officer advances and fires twice.
"We feel the officer made the correct judgement," Maj. Robert Hines of the Park Police told CNN's Crossfire.
"A knife can harm someone as much as a bullet."
Police have stepped up security on Pennsylvania Avenue and in Lafayette Park since an Oct. 29 shooting. Francisco Martin Duran has been charged with attempted assassination after spraying the White House with gunfire.
And the Secret Service continues to investigate a shooting Saturday that landed four bullets on White House grounds - one in the State Dining Room.
But authorities deny increased anxiety led to an over-reaction in this case.
"This was a seasoned officer," says Hines. "I don't think they were more quick to fire."
