A man has been taken into custody after shots were fired at a Donald Trump event. Chaos ensued as gunfire rang out at the White House Correspondents Association dinner with the US leader and wife Melania rushed from the room by security chiefs.
An gunman armed with “multiple weapons” attempted to storm the Washington dinner attended by Donald Trump before being detained. As bullets flew, Trump and first lady Melania were rushed away to safety.
One secret service officer was rushed to hospital after being shot in the chaos. It is understood they were protected by a bullet proof vest. The suspected shooter, who was reportedly armed with a shotgun, handgun and several knives, has been identified as Cole Tomas Allen, 31, from Torrance, California. He has now been charged in connection with the incident while undergoing assessments in hospital.
Trump has said seeing the White House Correspondence Dinner shooter “charge a security checkpoint armed with multiple weapons” was “in one way, very beautiful, a very beautiful thing”.
The US President held a press conference following the horror shooting at the Washington Hilton hotel, where the dinner was held, to give more details on the violent event that unfolded on Saturday night.
Trump described the man as “a lone wolf whack job” in a post on Truth Social, where he also posted a picture of the alleged assailant. The suspect is believed to have been a guest in the Washington Hilton hotel.
Trump seemed to want to shock the public even further when he described seeing the event unfold as a “beautiful thing”. He told reporters: “I saw a room that was just totally unified. It was, in one way, very beautiful, a very beautiful thing.
“To see a man charge a security checkpoint armed with multiple weapons, and he was taken down by some very brave members of secret service, and they acted very quickly.”