A member of the honor guard fainted Monday while standing near the flag-draped casket of Justice Sandra Day O’Connor, who died earlier this month and is now lying in repose at the Supreme Court in Washington DC.
The frightening incident unfolded during a live CNN broadcast from the building’s Great Hall.
The cause of the collapse has not been disclosed, and the officer’s condition is unknown.
The male guard can be seen wobbling as a colleague attempts holds him up.
He then crumbles to the floor as others rush to his aid.
“Oh, oh,” a startled broadcaster can be heard remarking during the incident. “We’re now watching this live with you.”
To honor her pioneering career, the Supreme Court held a private ceremony Monday morning with speakers Justice Sonia Sotomayor and Rev. Jane Fahey.
The public will be admitted to the chamber pay their respects to O’Connor, the first woman to sit on the panel.
O’Connor died from dementia and Alzheimer’s complications on December 1 at age 93.
Considered a moderate conservative, she was first named to the nation’s highest court by President Ronald Reagan in 1981.