Performer Recounts Ducking for Cover with President Trump During Shooting at Dinner

A performer at the White House Correspondents' Association dinner described the moment gunshots interrupted the event, leading him and President Donald Trump to duck for cover. Oz Pearlman, a mentalist, told the BBC he was performing for Trump, First Lady Melania Trump, and White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt when the shooting began.

He was guessing the name of Leavitt's expected baby by writing it on a piece of paper at the time.

Said he dropped to the ground quickly, and Secret Service agents brought Trump down nearby. The two were about half a meter apart, facing each other on the ground as shots continued, according to Pearlman. He recounted thinking they were about to die during the brief moment they locked eyes.

Agents then moved Trump out of the room within seconds, while Pearlman and others crawled to safety. Footage from the event showed Pearlman standing behind the seated group on an elevated stage at the Washington Hilton hotel. The annual dinner gathers journalists, officials, and guests for speeches and entertainment.

An interview with CBS's 60 Minutes on Sunday, Trump stated he was not worried during the incident. He described starting to walk with security agents, who instructed him to get down on the floor, and noted that the First Lady also went down. Trump added that he understands life in what he called a crazy world.

Enforcement officials identified the suspected gunman as Cole Tomas Allen, a 31-year-old from California. Police reported that Allen exchanged fire with security agents on the floor above the event room. After detention, Allen told officials he wanted to shoot members of the Trump administration, according to two sources who spoke to CBS, the BBC's US news partner.

Allen is scheduled for a formal charging hearing in Washington on Monday. The shooting took place during the event attended by Trump and other guests. No injuries were mentioned in reports of the incident.