'Lone wolf' gunman held after Trump evacuated from White House Correspondents' Dinner

The News

US President Donald Trump was evacuated from the White House Correspondents’ Dinner on Saturday, after witnesses heard multiple loud bangs in the ballroom of the Hilton Hotel in Washington, DC.

The US Secret Service said it was investigating a shooting incident and that one individual was in custody. “The president and first lady are safe along all protectees,” it said.

Trump said he believed the shooter was a “lone wolf” and that he didn’t reach the ballroom doors because he was apprehended by law enforcement.

Speaking on NBC’s Sunday morning, Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said law enforcement believed the suspect was targeting administration officials , though he described the investigation as “quite preliminary.” Blanche also said the suspect is believed to have traveled via train from Los Angeles to Chicago and then to Washington, DC, and that he was a guest at the hotel where the event took place.

On Saturday night, officers tackled the man after he charged a checkpoint with a shotgun in his hand as he attempted to run into the ballroom, they said. Officials declined to release his name and said the shooter’s motivation and targets were unclear.

There did not immediately appear to be any injuries. Videos of the event appeared to show attendees ducking under dining tables as law enforcement came on the main stage.

White House Correspondents Association Chair Weijia Jiang originally said the group would resume the program, but later took the stage to explain that law enforcement has requested attendees leave the premises.

The president “insists we reschedule the event in the next 30 days and that he wanted to do it tonight, to continue despite the news,” she said. “On a night we are thinking about the freedoms in the First Amendment, we must also think about how fragile they are.”

This was the the first time Trump has attended the dinner since 2015.

“Quite an evening in D.C. Secret Service and Law Enforcement did a fantastic job. They acted quickly and bravely,” Trump said in a social media post on Saturday night.

In a press briefing following the incident, Trump said the man was from California and had been captured. The Associated Press later identified the alleged shooter as a 31-year-old man from Torrance, California. The defendant will be arraigned on Monday in federal district court, US Attorney Jeanine Pirro said.

Trump said one officer responding to the attack was shot with a “very powerful gun” but was wearing a bullet-proof vest and “is doing great.”

“This isn’t the first time in the past couple of years that our Republic was attacked by an assassin who sought to kill,” he said. “I ask all Americans to recommit in their hearts to resolving our differences peacefully.”

During the briefing, Trump spoke about the presidency being a “dangerous job,” and said “I want to live because I want to make this country great.”

Notable

• The Washington Post published a detailed account from inside the room on Saturday night .