Gunman Arrested After Shooting at Hotel During White House Correspondents' Dinner

A gunman fired shots outside a Washington, D.C., hotel ballroom during the annual White House Correspondents' Dinner on April 25, 2026, leading to the evacuation of President Trump, Vice President JD Vance, and other officials. The incident occurred as attendees gathered for the event, with the gunman charging a security checkpoint and shooting a Secret Service agent who was wearing a bulletproof vest.

The agent sustained injuries and was hospitalized, but no other casualties were reported.

identified the suspect as Cole Tomas Allen, 31, from Torrance, California. He was armed with a shotgun, a handgun, and multiple knives, and acted alone, according to reports. U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro announced charges against Allen, including using a firearm during a crime of violence and assault on a federal officer with a dangerous weapon.

Pirro stated that the checkpoint prevented further harm to the thousands inside the ballroom.

“This individual was intent on doing as much harm and as much damage as he could and thankfully because of the checkpoint—right outside the ballroom where thousands of people were situated to hear the president of the United States—because that checkpoint worked there was no one who was injured." — U.S. He referenced the need for a secure ballroom under construction on the White House grounds, citing its drone-proof and bulletproof features amid ongoing lawsuits challenging the project on procedural grounds. Trump described the event as an attack on the republic and compared it to historical assassinations of impactful figures like Abraham Lincoln. He noted this was not the first attempt on his life, following two incidents in 2024, one of which grazed his ear.”

“The people that do the most, the people that make the biggest impact—they’re the ones that they go after.”