Shooting during gala dinner – this is what happened

TT

Updated 09.14 | Published 07.29

 

Security personnel during the shooting at The Washington Hilton in Washington DC.
Security personnel during the shooting at The Washington Hilton in Washington DC. Photo: Tom Brenner/AP/TT

A man armed with several weapons tried to enter a gala dinner in Washington DC where President Donald Trump was attending. All guests escaped unharmed.

Shooting broke out at The Washington Hilton hotel, where an annual correspondents' dinner took place on Saturday evening local time.

This is what we know about the incident so far:

Several shots were fired inside the hotel where hundreds of guests were, including Donald Trump, his wife Melania Trump, Vice President JD Vance and a large number of journalists. People ducked under tables in scenes described as chaotic. The shooting did not occur in the room where the dinner was being held.

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Surveillance video released after the incident shows a man running toward a security checkpoint in the building, while passing several people. The suspect was tackled to the ground and handcuffed. According to police, he was carrying two firearms and several knives. A security guard was shot but was hit in his bulletproof vest. He was released from the hospital this morning.

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Police believe the suspected shooter, a 31-year-old teacher from California, was a guest at the hotel where the gala dinner was held. The president described him as a suspected lone wolf. On Monday, the man will be arraigned and formally charged with using a firearm during a crime of violence.

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The suspect told police that he targeted Trump administration officials, sources told CBS News.

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The incident has been condemned by political leaders in the United States and abroad. California Governor Gavin Newsom, who is expected to run for president for the Democrats, wrote on X that “violence is never acceptable.” Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney expressed his joy that people were unharmed and stressed that political violence has no place in a democracy.

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The annual dinner for journalists working at the White House is officially called the White House Correspondents Association Dinner. It is organized by the White House Correspondents Association and has been held since 1920. The first president to attend was Calvin Coolidge in 1924. The sitting president usually attends, but Donald Trump has previously boycotted the dinner. This year’s dinner was the first in which Trump attended. Hollywood celebrities, such as directors, comedians and actors, are also usually among the guests.

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The Washington Hilton was also the scene of an assassination attempt on President Ronald Reagan in 1981. The president was shot and injured as he was leaving the hotel.