Cole Tomas Allen, the man suspected of shooting outside the Washington Hilton ballroom where US President Donald Trump was hosting the annual White House Correspondents’ Dinner on Saturday, was reportedly “armed with a shotgun, a handgun and several knives”.
Interim Washington, D.C. Police Chief Jeffery Carroll, quoted by CNN, said the suspect in the White House Correspondents’ Dinner shooting had multiple weapons as he “charged” a Secret Service checkpoint.
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“He was armed with a shotgun, a handgun and several knives,” Carroll said. Police added: “While passing through this checkpoint, this individual was apprehended by members of the United States Secret Service.”
Carroll added that the suspect and officers “exchanged gunfire.”
The shooter appeared to be assembling a “long” weapon
A White House Correspondents’ Dinner volunteer told the New York Post that the suspected gunman appeared to have assembled a “long” weapon in a lightly monitored area near the terrace-level entrance before opening fire and rushing toward the ballroom.
Witness Helen Mabus, a volunteer working at the event, described a “makeshift room” near the entrance where bar carts were stored and where there was “no security at all” at the time.
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“He was in that room (…) he took it out of a bag or something,” Mabus said, according to the New York Post, adding that the gun “was long” and “didn’t look like a typical gun.”
Mabus said the suspect was partially out of sight of security as he handled the weapon in the room before suddenly moving toward the main event area.
“He got it together and (…) ran to the stairs down to the ballroom,” she said.
The gunman then began firing in multiple directions as guests and employees tried to escape, she added.
“It sounded like he was shooting all over the place,” Mabus said, estimating she heard “at least 10 shots.”
Mabus said in the release that she ran in the opposite direction and did not see the arrested suspect, adding that the chaos unfolded just steps from the path leading down to the ballroom, where hundreds of dignitaries had gathered.
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Shooter in custody
The suspect was taken into custody and will face two charges: use of a firearm in a crime of violence and assault on a federal officer with a dangerous weapon, according to U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro.
He was quickly apprehended, with shocking photos showing the shirtless suspect sprawled face down on the floor of the Washington Hilton.
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According to reports, the incident occurred around 20:34 local time while dinner was being served. At the time, Trump was seen chatting with Weijia Jiang, chair of the White House Correspondents’ Association, and mentalist Oz Pearlman, who was scheduled to put on a show at an event at the Washington Hilton.
Secret Service officials and other security personnel covered the president, First Lady Melania Trump, Vice President JD Vance and Second Lady Usha Vance, who were seated at the head table, and led them out of the ballroom.
“Boom, boom, boom, boom is all I heard, and a lot of guests ducked under the table,” a C-SPAN reporter said at the dinner.
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What did Trump say?
A few hours later, Trump spoke at a press conference at the White House and announced that security personnel had captured one person, who is from California.
“I heard a noise and I kind of thought it was a tray. I’ve heard it many times. It was a pretty loud sound and it was a long way off. He (the attacker) didn’t get into the area at all. They really got him,” Trump told reporters, recalling the incident.
Trump said one security officer was shot at but saved because he was wearing a bulletproof vest.
