Washington: President Donald Trump was uninjured, and other top White House officials were evacuated from an annual dinner of the White House Correspondents’ Association on Saturday night, April 25, after an unspecified threat.
There did not immediately appear to be any injuries, and one law-enforcement official said a shooter had opened fire. Authorities said the incident occurred outside the ballroom where Trump and other guests were seated. It was not immediately clear what happened. The event was scrapped and will be rescheduled.
The FBI said the shooter is in custody and that its Washington field office is responding to the shooting.
The Secret Service and other authorities swarmed the banquet hall at the Washington Hilton as guests ducked under tables by the hundreds. “Out of the way, sir!” someone yelled. Others yelled to duck.
White House correspondents’ association president said everyone was safe after the shooting incident, and the event will be rescheduled.
Man held, says FBI
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) said the shooter is in custody and that its Washington field office is responding to the shooting. An officer was shot in a bullet-resistant vest at the correspondents’ dinner but is expected to be okay, a law enforcement official told the Associated Press.
The shooting suspect was identified as Cole Tomas Allen, 31, of Torrance, California, two law enforcement officials told the AP.
Carroll, the interim Washington, DC police chief, said that he could not say at this point what the shooter’s motivation was, and that it is too soon to know who the suspect had intended to target in the shooting.
US Attorney Jeanine Pirro said the suspect is being charged preliminarily with two charges related to using a firearm and assaulting an officer with a dangerous weapon, but that there will be many more charges filed “based on the information that we are learning in this very fluid situation”.
Pirro said the suspect would be arraigned on Monday in federal district court.
The police chief said the suspect was armed with a shotgun, a handgun, and multiple knives. He said investigators had no reason to believe at this time that anyone else was involved.
Violence has no place in a democracy: PM Modi relieved Trump unharmed
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday, April 26, said he was relieved that President Trump, First Lady Melania Trump and Vice President JD Vance were safe and unharmed after the security incident.
Modi said violence has no place in democracy and must be unequivocally condemned. “Relieved to learn that President Trump, the First Lady, and Vice President are safe and unharmed following the recent security incident at a Washington DC hotel. I extend my best wishes for their continued safety and well-being. Violence has no place in a democracy and must be unequivocally condemned,” Modi wrote on X.
Quite an evening: Trump
Donald Trump, in a post on Truth Social, said it was “quite an evening,” adding that Secret Service and law enforcement officers acted quickly and bravely. “The shooter has been apprehended,” he said.
He also addressed reporters separately later at the White House and said the suspect was armed with multiple weapons before being stopped by the Secret Service. One officer was shot, but he was protected by a bulletproof vest.
“He was shot from very close distance with a very powerful gun, and the vest did the job,” Trump said.
As he began the news conference, Trump called for tougher security measures, saying that “today, we need levels of security that probably nobody has ever seen before”.
He cited Saturday’s incident as a reason his ballroom, being constructed at the White House, is needed.
Describing what was going through his mind as the shots rang out, he said he initially believed it was a tray being dropped, noting the noise was “quite far away.” But the first lady, he said, was “very cognizant” that it was a shooting.
“I think she knew immediately what happened,” the president said, recalling that his wife told him, “That’s a bad noise.”
The president said the motivation of the shooter was unclear, but said that “he was a guy who looked pretty evil when he was down.” The president also reiterated that he had wanted to continue the dinner, saying, “I fought like hell to stay.”
He concluded the press conference by calling a “lid,” which means the press corps will not see him for the rest of the day. He said
Most WHCD attendees are closed inside the ballroom and cannot leave
Dinner organisers said there will be an “announcement shortly, we will be resuming shortly” from the stage. Most attendees are closed inside the ballroom and can’t leave.
A block from the White House, party-goers headed to the Renwick Museum were instead gathered at police tape as the streets and sidewalks were blocked off. Police cars tore up and down the block, sirens blaring. A helicopter buzzed overhead.
Generally, the Hilton hotel, where the dinner has taken place for years, remains open to regular guests during the White House Correspondents Dinner.
It has typically been focused on the ballroom — rather than the hotel at large — with little screening for people not entering the dinner itself.
In past years, that has created openings for disruptions in the lobby and other public spaces, including protests in which security moved to remove guests who unfurled banners or staged demonstrations.
Some in the crowd reported hearing 5 to 8 shots
The banquet hall, where hundreds of prominent journalists, celebrities and national leaders were awaiting Trump’s speech, was immediately evacuated. Members of the National Guard took up position inside the building as people were allowed to leave but not reenter. Security outside was also extremely tight.
It was not immediately clear what happened. A law enforcement official confirmed there was a shooter but no further details were immediately available.
US Attorney says Secret Service in charge of building
US Attorney Jeanine Pirro posted a short video from the hotel after the incident, saying, “I have been taken out of the ballroom after the sound of the shots fired. The Secret Service is now in charge of this building, this hotel. I just spoke to Mayor Muriel Bowser. She is on her way, and (Police) Chief Jeffery Carroll is on his way. He will be in charge as soon as he gets here.”
