Trump's Correspondent Dinner Shooter Identified, President Shares First Photo Of 31-Year-Old Suspect

(MENAFN- Live Mint) White House Correspondents' Dinner on Saturday turned chaotic after a shooter open fired while US President Donald Trump was seated with First Lady Melania Trump and other top leaders at the banquet hall of the Washington Hilton Hotel. Donlad Trump shared first photo of the suspect on social media platform Truth Social.

Fow News journalist Karol Markowicz in a post on X said that the suspect has been identified as 31-year-old Cole Tomas Allen from Torrance, California, who was immediately taken into custody.

Another photo of the suspect was released by POTUS.

(Livemint could not independently verify this development and no official statement has been issued on the suspect yet.)

What we know about the shooter at White House Correspondents' Dinner and shots fired?

Someone in the crowd at the press dinner heard firing of 5 to 8 shots, as per AP report. After the loud sound terrified the attendees, including Trump, law enforcement officials rushed to evacuate the top officials. One official confirmed that there was a shooter, but no further details were provided.

US Attorney Jeanine Pirro shared a short video from the Hilton hotel after the incident and said,“I have been taken out of the ballroom after the sound of the shots fired. The Secret Service is now in charge of this building, this hotel. I just spoke to Mayor Muriel Bowser. She is on her way, and (Police) Chief Jeffery Carroll is on his way. He will be in charge as soon as he gets here."

FBI Director Kash Patel addressed a press briefing after the shocking incident where he thanked the agencies involved in ensuring safety and security.

“You saw brave Secret Service agents respond immediately, subdue and take down the suspect and safeguard the lives of thousands of individuals at the hotel. Thanks to our inter-agency partnership with the Department of Homeland Security and the Metropolitan Police Department, the FBI was rapidly deployed onto the scene, took over the evidence response unit, is examining all the ballistics that were found on scene, to include the long gun and the shell casings,” ANi quoted Kash Patel as saying.

Seeking more information on the incident from the masses, he added, "We are conducting witness interviews as we speak. You will hear from our team on the scene there with the Mayor and the Head of the FBI Field Division there...If you have any information related to this event, 1-800-CALL-FBI. No piece of information is too small, no piece of information is inadequate. We will also conduct interviews with those who were there and if any of those individuals have information, please come forward."

Donald Trump's first reaction after Correspondents' Dinner shooting incident

Donald Trump revealed that the First Lady, the Vice President and all other Cabinet members were in perfect condition and were unharmed in the shooting incident. In a post on Truth Social, he wrote,“Law Enforcement has requested that we leave the premises, consistent with protocol, which we will do, immediately. I will be giving a press conference in 30 minutes from the White House Press Briefing Room.”

He added,“I have spoken with all the representatives in charge of the event, and we will be rescheduling within 30 days.”

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