A gunman opened fire while trying to force entry to the White House Correspondents’ Association (WHCA) dinner on Saturday evening, forcing President Donald Trump and members of his cabinet to be rushed off the stage by Secret Service.
The Washington Metropolitan Police Department said the suspect charged a security checkpoint at 8.36 p.m. carrying a "shotgun, a handgun and multiple knives." He then shot at a Secret Service agent before he was subdued and arrested.
Video from the ballroom at the Washington Hilton in Washington, D.C., where hundreds had gathered for a glitzy annual event for White House staff and the press, showed Secret Service agents running onto the stage before escorting the president and Vice President J.D. Vance away. Attendees took cover under their tables as gunshots rang out and a voice could be heard shouting, "Get down!"
The gunman was identified as Cole Tomas Allen, 31, of California, by two law enforcement officials to The Associated Press. A photograph of the suspect, face down on the ground after being detained, appeared to match social media profiles for Allen.
Allen's social media and professional profiles suggest he was a teacher in Torrance, near Los Angeles. His LinkedIn profile shows that he graduated from the California Institute of Technology, in Pasadena, California, in 2017 with a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering.
U.S. Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said Sunday that law enforcement believes that the shooter was targeting Trump Administration officials.
"It does appear that he, he did, in fact, have set out to target folks that work in the administration, likely including the President," Blanche told NBC News, adding that the suspect likely traveled to Washington, D.C. by train from Los Angeles.
Speaking at a hastily called press conference at the White House after the shooting, Trump described the alleged shooter as a "lone wolf whack job." He added that the officer who was shot was saved by a bulletproof vest and was in "great shape."
"In light of this evening's events, I ask that all Americans recommit with their hearts to resolving our differences peacefully," Trump said.
The president said he had ordered the release of CCTV footage of the incident, which occurred near a security screening area outside the room where the event was held. The video, which he posted on Truth Social, showed a man running through the security check area before several law enforcement officers opened fire on him.
What happened at the White House Correspondents' Dinner?
The WHCA dinner is an annual event for White House staff and the press, typically featuring comedy and a satirical speech from the president.
Most people were inside the ballroom when the shooting took place, but CNN’s Wolf Blitzer said he was a few feet away when he witnessed a gunman fire a "very serious weapon" at least six times. He told CNN in an interview that the shooter "seemed to have gone through the metal detector, but he had a weapon and he was firing a weapon."
A TIME journalist attending the event said Secret Service agents ran through the crowd to escort Trump Administration cabinet members to safety immediately after several loud noises were heard on the ballroom floor.
Speaking to reporters at the White House later, Trump was asked why he had been targeted for assassination numerous times—including a near miss at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, during the 2024 presidential campaign.
"I've studied assassinations, and I must tell you the most impactful people, the people that do the most—you take a look at the people, Abraham Lincoln, I mean, you go through the people that have gone through this, where they got them, but the people that do the most, the people that make the biggest impact, they're the ones that they go after," he said.