WEB DESK
Gunshots were fired at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner in Washington DC on Saturday night. The suspect has been arrested. An officer was shot at close range, but his bullet-proof vest saved him.
The suspect has been identified as Cole Tomas Allen, 31, of Torrance, California, US media report – he will be formally charged in court on Monday
President Donald Trump said a suspect “armed with multiple weapons” charged a security checkpoint before shots were fired at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner tonight in Washington, DC. Trump was rushed off stage, and he and his Cabinet members are all safe.
The suspect — who is in custody — will be charged with using a firearm during a crime of violence and assault on federal officer using a dangerous weapon, US Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro said. Authorities have identified the suspect as a 31-year-old California man, law enforcement officials told CNN.
CNN’s Wolf Blitzer was outside the ballroom at the Washington Hilton when he saw a gunman opening fire just a few feet away. He was among the dozens of attendees who took cover as law enforcement swarmed. A US Secret Service agent was shot in their protective gear and has been hospitalized, sources said.
Mamdani decries attack on White House Correspondents’ Dinner as “political violence”
New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani spoke out against the attack at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner Saturday night, saying, “political violence is absolutely unacceptable.”
“I am glad the President and guests at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner are safe,” Mamdani wrote in an X post.