WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump and other high-ranking administration officials were evacuated from the room inside the Washington Hilton Hotel after a shooting occurred at the White House Correspondents’ Association annual dinner on Saturday night.
Secret Service agents swarmed the ballroom at the Washington Hilton Hotel, where reporters, administration officials, and other members of Congress ducked under their tables amidst the chaos. The event was abruptly suspended as authorities began an investigation into the incident.
Jeanine Pirro, the U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia, announced that the suspect will be arraigned in federal court on Monday. The charges against the suspect include using a firearm in a crime of violence and assault on a federal officer using a dangerous weapon.
Law enforcement officials have identified the man arrested at the dinner as a male in his early 30s. Officials have said he has no record and was not on the radar of law enforcement in Washington, D.C.
As the attendees dispersed from the hotel ballroom, White House Correspondents’ Association President Weijia Jiang said, “I said earlier tonight that journalism is a public service, because when there is an emergency, we run to the crisis, not away from it. And on a night when we are thinking about the freedoms and the First Amendment, we must also think about how fragile they are.”
Authorities have not yet specified a motive in the shooting.
Shortly before the White House press briefing, Trump posted a video showing agents take down the suspect, who he said “charged a security checkpoint armed with many weapons.”
Interim D.C. Metropolitan Police Department Chief Jeffrey Carroll stated that the police believe the suspect fired at the Secret Service, but they are currently collecting shell casings and awaiting ballistics evidence to confirm this.
The police chief told reporters that the suspect was armed with a shotgun, a handgun and multiple knives. Carroll said the preliminary information is that he was a “lone actor.”
Saturday was the first correspondents’ dinner that Trump had attended as president. He was scheduled to speak.
The dinner was underway, and Trump, the first lady, and other dignitaries were sitting at the main table and White House Correspondents’ Association President Weijia Jiang were chatting with the dinner’s host Oz Pearlman, when some attendees said they heard several loud bangs shortly after 8:30 p.m. ET.
