Witness describes seeing White House dinner shooting suspect pull out ‘long gun’ as he rushed toward ballroom
By John Bowden
Apr 25, 2026 8:35 pm PDT
A woman who witnessed the beginning of Saturday night’s shooting at the White House Correspondents Dinner described a horrifying scene to The Independent as guests, service workers and other hotel guests streamed out of the Washington Hilton into the dark streets of Washington D.C. on a drizzly Saturday evening.
Flavienne, a server at the venue, described how she was pushing a service cart into an elevator with another female employee when a man dressed in a suit to blend in with attendees withdrew a long gun from his person and opened fire at least 3 times.
She described a scene of panic unfolding: "The lady was behind me, she was working with me. She [was trying to] push the cart [in the elevator]...The guy passed just close to her. Just like you pass like this -- and then he pulled out the gun, the long gun. He shot that gun Immediately, like three shots.”
A man with short brown curly hair, identified in a picture posted by President Donald Trump on Truth Social, was taken into custody by law enforcement.
By David Smith, Rachel Leingang, and Kira Lerner in Washington
Donald and Melania Trump were evacuated from the White House correspondents’ dinner on Saturday evening after the event was interrupted by loud gunshots.
A suspect was in custody, the FBI said, after the annual black tie dinner honoring the White House press corps in the ballroom of the Washington Hilton was suddenly interrupted by confusion and chaos. Journalists ducked under tables as authorities rushed the president and members of his cabinet out of the room.
Muriel Bowser, the Washington DC mayor, said in a press conference Saturday night that a sole gunman rushed at the Secret Service in the lobby of the hotel. There is no reason to believe that anyone else was involved in the incident, she said.
The suspect is in custody and being “evaluated” at a local hospital. He was identified as Cole Tomas Allen, 31, of Torrance, California, the Associated Press is reporting, citing two law enforcement officials.
Jeffrey Carroll, the DC police chief, said that investigators believe the suspect did fire a shot and was armed with a shotgun, a handgun and multiple knives. He also said the suspect is believed to have been a guest at the hotel.
Jeanine Pirro, a US attorney for the District of Columbia, said the defendant is being charged with two counts and will be arraigned Monday.
In a press briefing from the White House later Saturday evening, Trump praised the Secret Service and said an agent was hit by a bullet that was stopped by a ballistic vest.
He also described the Washington Hilton as “not a particularly secure building” and argued the merits of the construction of a ballroom at the White House. “This is why we have to have all of the attributes of what we’re planning at the White House. It’s actually a larger room, and it’s much more secure.”
Weijia Jang, president of the White House correspondents’ dinner, told the ballroom earlier Saturday that the president wants to reschedule the dinner in the next 30 days.
“Thank God everyone is safe, and thank you for coming together tonight,” she said. “We will do this again.”
Guests had just started eating dinner when the commotion began. The atmosphere in the room was tense as journalists waited to hear what happened and what to do next.
CNN’s Wolf Blitzer reported that he saw someone with a gun at the event.
“I did see the gunman on the ground after he started shooting,” he said. “Police officers threw him to the ground.”
Jamie Raskin, a Democratic congressman from Maryland, who was attending the dinner said he never saw a shooter, but “I think a Secret Service agent threw me to the ground and on top of some other people and people were screaming and yelling”.
“I heard some loud noises but I don’t know if that was people reacting or if that was something outside, it was hard to know, but people very quickly were saying that was a shot, that was the gunshot,” he added. “People were terrified; people seem to be relieved now.”
Guardian reporters in the room said there were initially mixed messages about whether press and guests should stay in the room. The entire room emptied as people were told the event would not resume and the presidential seal was removed from the podium. Outside the hotel, helicopters circled overhead.
This year’s dinner was already tense given the presence of Trump and top members of his cabinet, including Pete Hegseth, the secretary of defense, and Marco Rubio, the secretary of state. Trump agreed to attend this year’s dinner after refusing to attend last year and during his first term.
When asked Saturday night if he was concerned about threats to his life, Trump, who also survived an assassination attempt during his campaign for the presidency in 2024, said: “It’s a dangerous profession.”
As of April 2026, several Democratic leaders have resigned or announced their departure, headlined by Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick and Rep. Eric Swalwell, amid misconduct allegations and potential expulsion. These resignations are part of a wave of departures affecting the House, following leadership shifts from high-profile members like Nancy Pelosi and party leadership changes in state chapters.
Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick (D-FL): Resigned in April 2026 just before a House Ethics Committee hearing regarding allegations of fraud and misuse of campaign funds.
Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA): Announced his resignation in April 2026 following sexual assault allegations, saying he aimed to avoid distracting from his duties.
These departures come amidst intense ethical scrutiny and a changing, high-stakes political environment in Congress.
What cheesy stunt did you just pull off, Gavin? You're a bigly imbecile! You and your drunken cronies just drove out another profitable business. Keep it up, you useless dumb ape!
DeposedCongressman Eric Swalwell has arrived at a serious crossroad in his life. He has lost his bid to run for California Governor and lost his Congressional seat at the same time these past few days. He faces several Federal Criminal Charges, pending Federal investigations into the matter.
God Almighty has His plans on what to do with Eric Swalwell in the future. God wants to redeem Eric Swalwell and release him from his past sins. What will Eric Swalwell choose?