Chaos broke on Saturday evening among guests and the U.S. leader’s entourage as a gunman attempted to pass the security checkpoint for the White House Correspondents’ dinner at Washington Hilton and started shooting before eventually getting arrested.
US President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump were rushed out of the ballroom while guests rushed to take cover at the hearing of shots.
An agent shot during the incident is reportedly doing well in his health, and the suspect remains in custody after his arrest.
The gunman has been identified as Cole Tomas Allen, a Los Angeles-area resident about 31 years of age.
CBS News reports that Allen told law enforcement following his arrest that he wanted to shoot Trump administration officials. No motive had been identified until the time of publishing.
“Law enforcement is actively assessing the situation,” according to a statement by Anthony Guglielmi, Chief of Communications of the U.S. Secret Service.
White House Correspondent’s Dinner shooting incident
Around 8:35 p.m. ET, guests at the Washington Hilton dinner took cover when shots were heard. Soon after, Secret Service agents rushed towards Trump, escorting the president and his cabinet from the ballroom.
According to Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser and interim Police Chief Jeffery Carroll, a sole gunman had bolted through a Secret Service checkpoint in a lobby. The suspect charged the Secret Service checkpoint and was found to be armed with a shotgun, a handgun and multiple knives. As he ran through that checkpoint, Secret Service members intercepted him.
A Secret Service agent was injured in the process and transported to a local hospital. The suspect was also transferred to a local hospital for evaluation.
White House Correspondence Shooter Identified as Cole Thomas Allen.
This is how secret service controlled the shooter. pic.twitter.com/XtWMHxAPGj
— Prashant Umrao (@ippatel) April 26, 2026
“We do know that law enforcement exchanged gunfire with the individual. … The suspect in this case, he was not struck by gunfire,” Carroll said. “Law enforcement … they actually tackled him into the ground and handcuffed him.”
Around 10:30 p.m., President Trump addressed the media in a press conference at the White House, commending the swift reaction of law enforecement agents.
“This was very unexpected, but incredibly acted upon by Secret Service and law enforcement,” he said, calling on all Americans to resolve their differences peacefully as he also referenced the two previous attempts on his life in 2024.
The White House Correspondents’ Dinner will be rescheduled for a later date, he added.
“We are not going to let anybody take over our society, we are not going to cancel things out.”
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