The Japan Times
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Trump evacuated as shooter opens fire at Washington gala event
U.S. President Donald Trump speaks, flanked by FBI Director Kash Patel (left) U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Markwayne Mullin (second right) and Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, during a press briefing in the Brady Briefing Room of the White House in Washington, shortly after a shooting incident at a press gala event Saturday. | AFP-JIJI
AFP-JIJI, REUTERS, STAFF REPORT
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Apr 26, 2026
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Washington – U.S. Secret Service agents bundled Donald Trump from the stage as shots rang out Saturday evening at a media gala, in what the president later described as an attack by a "would-be assassin."
Armed guards opened fire at the gunman who charged through a security checkpoint just outside the ballroom of the hotel where Trump, first lady Melania Trump, senior government officials and hundreds of other black-tie guests had gathered.
People dived under tables in chaotic scenes as Secret Service teams swarmed into the glitzy White House Correspondents' Association dinner held annually at the Washington Hilton in the U.S. capital.
"A man charged a security checkpoint armed with multiple weapons, and he was taken down by some very brave members of the Secret Service," Trump told a news conference at the White House shortly after the incident.
"They seem to think he was a lone wolf, and I feel that too," he said, after posting video of the gunman sprinting past security as guards drew their weapons. The man was detained at the scene.
pic.twitter.com/zcgVgZivwD— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) April 26, 2026
Trump said one officer was shot at close range but appeared to not be critically injured. He added that the venue was "not a particularly secure" facility as questions swirled about the president's safety.
Trump said at the hastily arranged news conference that he first thought the noise was a tray being dropped before he realized it was gunfire. He said he planned to reschedule the media gala within a month despite the security scare.
A law enforcement official identified the suspect as Cole Tomas Allen, a Los Angeles-area resident about 31 years of age. City officials said the suspect, who will be arraigned in court on Monday on firearm and assault charges, appeared to have been a guest at the hotel. He was armed with a shotgun, handgun and knives.
Little was immediately known about Allen's background, but social media postings suggested he was a teacher in Torrance, California, near Los Angeles.
He was taken to a local hospital to be evaluated but it was too soon to say what his motivation was, Washington interim Police Chief Jeffery Carroll said. Based on preliminary information, he was believed to have been a guest at the hotel, Carroll added.
Trump told reporters that the authorities have gone to the suspect's apartment and "I guess he lives in California."
FBI agents were seen outside a residence in Torrance late Saturday. The area near the two-story, brown house was blocked off by police tape.
A LinkedIn profile with the name "Cole Allen" showed a picture of a man which appeared to match a photo of the suspect shared by Trump.
The social media profile said Allen was a mechanical engineer, computer scientist, game developer and teacher.
A person said to be the suspect in a shooting incident at a White House press gala dinner Saturday in Washington is seen in an image released by U.S. President Donald Trump via social media. | Truth Social @realDonaldTrump / VIA AFP-JIJI
The president, asked if the incident was related to the U.S. and Israeli war against Iran, said he did not believe that was the case.
In a post to X, Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, who has twice held summit talks with Trump, said she was "relieved" to learn that the U.S. president was safe.
"Violence can never be tolerated anywhere in the world," she wrote.
During the chaotic incident, tactical teams with guns drawn took position on the stage where Trump had been sitting during dinner before he was evacuated.
Police surrounded the hotel, and helicopters hovered overhead.
The security breach occurred after the welcoming speech and during dinner, before Trump was due to speak.
Cabinet members were evacuated first as confusion and concern spread through the partying guests.
One administration official, Mehmet Oz, told journalists "shots fired upstairs" as he was rushed out by security.
Speaking at the news conference, Trump noted that this was "not the first time in the past couple of years that our republic has been attacked by a would-be assassin who sought to kill."
"In light of this evening's events, I asked that all Americans recommit with their hearts and resolving our difference peacefully," he said.
Trump was the target of an assassination attempt during a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania in 2024. A gunman fired several shots, killing an audience member and lightly wounding the president in the ear.
Agents draw their guns after loud bangs were heard during the White House Correspondents' dinner at the Washington Hilton in Washington on Saturday. | AFP-JIJI
A few months later, another man was arrested after a Secret Service agent saw the barrel of a rifle poking from the bushes on the perimeter of the Palm Beach golf course where Trump was playing a round.
The Washington Hilton where Saturday's gala was taking place was the site where Republican President Ronald Reagan was shot by a would-be assassin in 1981.
The White House Correspondents' Association invited Trump this year despite his repeated attacks on the media.
Unlike all other presidents from the past 100 years, Trump had never attended while in office.
The "Nerd Prom" — as attendees dub it — brings together journalists and the who's who of Washington to raise funds for scholarships and awards.
The event often has a comedian joking about the president, who traditionally makes a few cracks of his own, though no comedian was booked this year.
KEYWORDS
Donald Trump, U.S., media, gun
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