White House gunman wrote suicide note

A suicide note has been found in the car of a man who fired a gun outside the White House.

Robert Pickett was shot in the knee by secret service officers outside a White House fence on Wednesday.

He is recovering in a Washington hospital as authorities are preparing to charge Pickett, from Evansville, in Indiana.

Police say Pickett's vehicle was found at a commuter rail station near the capital with the suicide note inside.

Pickett had described himself as a mental patient in several court filings against former employer, the Internal Revenue.

He waved his gun at police from outside the wrought-iron fence at the White House and apparently fired two shots before a uniformed officer shot him.

Pickett bought the gun from an Evansville pawn shop a year ago after passing an instant criminal background check, shop manager David Sisson said.