President Donald Trump posted this Sunday on his platform Truth Social a video from security cameras of the alleged shooter who opened fire at the entrance of the Washington Hilton during the Annual White House Correspondents' Dinner, held on Saturday night.
The recording, described by Fox News as the first image of the suspect, shows the man breaking into the hotel’s security control area and was released by Trump directly on his social media platform, prior to any formal announcement from the authorities.
The shooting occurred minutes after the event began, near the metal detectors at the entrance of the Washington Hilton in Washington D.C., in front of about 2,600 people attending the evening.
The suspect was identified as Cole Allen, 31 years old, originally from Torrance, California, who fired between five and eight shots before being apprehended and taken down to the ground by Secret Service agents and the police of Washington D.C.
A Secret Service agent was hit by a bullet, but his bulletproof vest stopped the projectile. He was taken to a local hospital and full recovery is expected. There were no civilian casualties or fatalities.
Trump, First Lady Melania Trump, Vice President JD Vance, and House Speaker Mike Johnson were evacuated safely. Trump left the venue around 9:45 p.m. and headed to the White House.
Minutes earlier, at 9:17 p.m., Trump had already posted on Truth Social confirming the arrest of the suspect: "What a night we had in Washington D.C. The Secret Service and law enforcement did a fantastic job. They acted quickly and bravely. The shooter has been arrested."
The official also announced that the dinner would be rescheduled in 30 days: "We will reschedule. We won't let anyone take control of our society. We wanted to stay tonight."
The president of the Correspondents' Association, Weijia Jiang, confirmed to those present that there were no civilian injuries and announced the rescheduling of the event.
The Cuban-American congresswoman María Elvira Salazar described taking shelter under a table near the door during the shooting.
The FBI, under the direction of Kash Patel, took over the federal investigation of the case and executed search warrants at the hotel where the suspect was staying in Washington and at his residence in California. Cole Allen faces multiple charges, including assault on a federal officer and the use of a weapon in the commission of a crime, and he was hospitalized for psychiatric evaluation following his arrest.
The reasons for the attack remain under investigation and were not immediately made public by the authorities.
Trump's attendance at the Correspondents' Dinner was historically significant: it was the first time he participated as a sitting president during his second term, breaking the boycott he had maintained in previous years.
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