Agents draw their guns after loud bangs were heard during the White House Correspondents' Dinner at the Washington Hilton in Washington, DC, yesterday. Photo / Mandel Ngan, AFP
Agents draw their guns after loud bangs were heard during the White House Correspondents' Dinner at the Washington Hilton in Washington, DC, yesterday. Photo / Mandel Ngan, AFP
The man suspected in the White House Correspondents’ Dinner shooting wrote a statement saying he wanted to target members of United States President Donald Trump’s Administration, according to two law enforcement officials familiar with the document.
Acting Attorney-General Todd Blanche said that the suspect in custody, identified as ColeTomas Allen, 31, of Torrance, California, appeared to be targeting members of the Trump Administration, and potentially Trump, but that the information was “quite preliminary”.
Officials based their assessment on Allen’s writings, including a statement he sent to members of his family before the shooting, investigators said.
Washington DC interim police chief Jeffery Carroll said yesterday that Allen was armed with a shotgun, a handgun and knives when he charged through a security checkpoint towards the ballroom at the Washington Hilton, where hundreds of journalists, politicians and celebrities were gathered for the dinner.
Allen will be charged with two counts of using a firearm during a crime of violence and one count of assault on a federal officer using a dangerous weapon, US Attorney for Washington DC Jeanine Pirro said.
One Secret Service officer was struck by a bullet – believed to be from the gunman – but protected by a bulletproof vest, Blanche said.
The incident has prompted questions about the security at the Washington Hilton, which has hosted the dinner for years.
Shortly after the shooting and today, Trump and his allies used the incident to make the case for a new White House ballroom, a project that has been held up by legal challenges.
Trump also vowed he would participate in another correspondents’ dinner, which he said should be rescheduled within 30 days.
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