Donald Trump taking pictures: All we all know as gunman launches assault at White House correspondents’ dinner
The annual White House correspondents’ dinner saw the US President evacuated by the Secret Service after shots were fired in the building
Trump surrounded after a shooting outside the Correspondents Dinner(Image: AP)
Donald Trump was evacuated by the Secret Service after a gunman opened fire at the White House correspondents’ dinner.
A gunman ran into the foyer of the Washington Hilton hotel, where the US President, Melania Trump, JD Vance and hundreds of journalists were present for the annual event. The suspect is in custody and was reportedly armed with multiple weapons. A US Secret Service agent was shot at close range in the incident and was rushed to hospital, but was saved by his bullet-proof vest, Trump said.
The suspect has been named as 31-year-old Cole Thomas Allen, from Torrance, California.
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The incident happened at about 8:35pm US time (1:35am UK time) on Saturday night.
Trump rushed to safety
Donald Trump was rushed out of a ballroom at the Washington Hilton hotel by the Secret Service and taken to safety after gunshots were fired.
The President and First Lady Melania Trump appeared to be talking when they were interrupted as chaos ensued inside the hall. Trump was surrounded by agents who moved him out of his seat and to the ground, before rushing him off the stage.
Suspect named
The suspect in the shooting was named as 31-year-old Cole Thomas Allen. Officials said the man was from Torrance, California, on the outskirts of Los Angeles, and images showed police investigating a home linked to the suspect.
US authorities added that the man was not on the radar of law enforcement officials and had no criminal record.
‘Multiple weapons’
President Trump claimed after the shooting that Allen had charged a security checkpoint “armed with multiple weapons”.
In a press conference following the shooting, he said the shooter was “taken down by some very brave members of secret service”, and that an officer who was injured saved by the bulletproof vest he was wearing.
Police said the attacker had been armed with a shotgun, a hand gun and multiple knives. At least five to eight gunshots were fired during the incident according to CBS news.
‘Lone Wolf’
Donald Trump described suspect Cole Thomas Allen as a “lone wolf whack job”. He is due to be arraigned on Monday in a federal court.
Allen told authorities after his arrest that he was targeting Trump administration officials, CBS News reported.
In his LinkedIn profile, Allen describes himself as a “mechanical engineer and computer scientist by degree, independent game developer by experience, teacher by birth.”
Melanie hears ‘bad noise’
The president said he thought the first gunshot was ‘a tray going down’ but was quickly corrected by his wife, Melania, who was sitting next to him.
He said that immediately called the sound a “bad noise”, and said the First Lady had been very shrap and aware, saying: “Melania was very cognizant”, though he added “it was a rather traumatic experience for her.”
Trump also addressed his wife’s fear for his safety given multiple assassination attempts against him, saying: “She told me numerous times, she said ‘you are in a dangerous job’.”
FBI home search
Officials from the Federal Bureau of Investigation are carrying out a search of shooting suspect Allen’s home in Torrence, California.
Crowds – including media and what appeared to be neighbours and passers-by – gathered outside the property, which has been surrounded by law enforcement officers.
Torrance is a city of more than 147,000 people on the southwest coast of Los Angeles County and about 20 miles south of the city of Los Angeles’ downtown.
Secret Service casualty
The Secret Service officer who was wounded in thee shooting was later released from hospital. President Trump, who claimed the man had been saved by his bullet proof vest, said he was “in great shape”.
The president went on: “We told him we love him and respect him. And he’s a very proud guy and he’s very proud of what he does.”
