Live Updates: Investigators Search for Motive in Shooting at Washington Dinner
\Live Updates_ Investigators Search for Motive in Shooting at Washington Dinner Where Trump Was Evacuated – The New York Times
President Trump was unharmed after being rushed from the stage at the White House correspondents’ dinner. A gunman exchanged fire with authorities but did not reach the ballroom, and a suspect was in custody.
Investigators were working on Sunday to determine a motive in the shooting that sent Secret Service agents rushing President Trump from the stage at the White House correspondents’ dinner, an attack that raised questions about how a gunman was able to get close to one of Washington’s most heavily guarded events.
The suspect, identified by two law enforcement officials speaking on condition of anonymity as Cole Tomas Allen, 31, of Torrance, Calif., was taken into custody after running through a security checkpoint and exchanging gunfire with the authorities inside the Washington Hilton on Saturday night. Officials said he did not reach the ballroom, where Mr. Trump, top administration officials and hundreds of journalists had gathered.
Late Saturday night, federal authorities in the Los Angeles suburbs surrounded a two-story home where records show Mr. Allen lives. Residents gathered nearby on darkened sidewalks as police helicopters circled overhead and law enforcement vehicles with flashing red and blue lights blocked the street.
The suspect was armed with knives, a shotgun and a handgun and had been staying at the Washington Hilton, the interim Washington, D.C., police chief, Jeffery W. Carroll, told reporters on Saturday night. He said that the authorities were still investigating whether the suspect had targeted the president, but that they believed he had acted alone.
At a separate news conference after the attack, Mr. Trump compared his line of work to being a racecar driver or a bull rider, and said that presidents were more likely to be shot at or killed.
“It’s a dangerous profession,” he said.
The president said a Secret Service officer had been shot but was saved by his bulletproof vest.
The attack revived questions about political violence in the United States and about security around Mr. Trump, one of the most targeted presidents in history. In 2024, he was grazed by a bullet in an assassination attempt at a campaign rally in Pennsylvania, and rushed to safety months later when a federal agent fired on an armed man at his Florida golf club.
There were no metal detectors set up at the hotel’s entrances on Saturday, and a secure perimeter was only established closer to the ballroom. Mr. Trump said the incident underscored why he wanted to build a $400 million ballroom on White House grounds that he said would be equipped with the latest security features. That project is currently subject to litigation.
Here’s what else we’re covering:
-
Charges: The suspect faces federal firearm and assault charges and is expected to be arraigned in federal court on Monday, with more charges possible, said Jeanine Pirro, the U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia. She did not name the suspect.
-
The suspect: A spokeswoman for the California Institute of Technology said a person named Cole Allen had graduated in 2017, but that the school had no other information to disclose immediately. On Facebook and LinkedIn accounts that appear to be connected to him, Mr. Allen described himself as an independent game developer.
-
Ballroom scene: There were no announcements or cries of “get down” in the ballroom of the Washington Hilton on Saturday. Security officials with weapons drawn emerged on the dais as the president and the first lady, Melania Trump, were quickly escorted out.
-
Video: Mr. Trump posted a brief surveillance video of a man running past the security checkpoint at the Washington Hilton, where the dinner was being held. In the video, agents drew their guns and appeared to start firing.
-
Hotel’s history: The Washington Hilton is the same hotel outside of which John Hinckley Jr. tried to assassinate President Ronald Reagan in 1981.
Pooja Salhotra contributed reporting.