A shooting at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner attended by President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump has shocked Americans and raised questions about security surrounding the president.
Authorities have detained the suspect, Cole Thomas Allen, 31, from south California with no criminal record. He allegedly opened fire Saturday night at the Washington Hilton hotel, where the annual event was being held.
What happened
Witnesses reported hearing five to eight shots as panic spread through the ballroom. Several Secret Service agents were heard shouting, “Shots fired.”
At around 8:30 p.m (0430 am Romania time), the suspect, who was alone and armed with a shotgun, handgun, and multiple knives, charged into the hotel lobby area and attempted to breach a Secret Service checkpoint.
President Trump and the First Lady were safely evacuated from the White House Correspondents’ Dinner after the suspect breached the Secret Service checkpoint inside the Washington Hilton.
It was the third time in less than two years that Trump has found himself under the threat of gunfire
Officials say he exchanged gunfire with law enforcement and was quickly subdued and taken into custody.
A Secret Service agent was struck in a bulletproof vest, hospitalized and discharged. The suspect was not injured.
At a late-night news conference, officials said the suspect was believed to have been staying at the Washington Hilton.
Trump shared photos on his Truth Social account showing the suspect lying face down on the carpet surrounded by agents after being taken into custody.
FBI Director Kash Patel said investigators are examining ballistics, a recovered long gun, and shell casings, and were taking witness interviews. He urged the public to submit any information.
Who was attending
The event was attended by President Trump, First Lady Melania Trump, Vice President JD Vance, and all cabinet members, as well as journalists, lawmakers and public figures.
Video from inside the ballroom captured the moment when loud bangs were heard, prompting security to move quickly to escort the president and other officials to safety.
Trump described what he experienced: “I heard a noise and sort of thought it was a tray going down,” he said. “It was a gun. It was pretty far away, but it was a gun.” He added that the Secret Service moved “very quickly” and evacuated him and the First Lady within seconds.
Trump says the event is expected to be rescheduled within 30 days.
What do we know about the suspect
Officials say Allen had no known criminal record and was not previously on law enforcement’s radar.
According to LinkedIn, he graduated from the California Institute of Technology in 2017 with a degree in mechanical engineering and later earned a master’s degree from California State University, Dominguez Hills, in computer science in 2025.
