United States. Get down! Get down!: Donald Trump evacuated from a gala after shots fired, suspect arrested

What happened in the ballroom?

Gunshots were heard after the welcome speech at the gala dinner held at the Hilton hotel in Washington. Security teams, armed and ready, positioned themselves on the stage where Donald Trump was seated alongside his wife Melania, Vice President JD Vance, and other officials who were quickly evacuated.

Hundreds of guests in evening wear gathered in the ballroom took cover under tables, then made their way to the hotel lobby before exiting outside where the event was postponed. Authorities reported that no personalities or guests at the gala were injured.

How did the shooting unfold?

According to authorities, a “lone shooter” breached a security checkpoint in the hotel lobby just outside the ballroom where the dinner was taking place around 8:36 pm (2:36 am in France). Donald Trump shared images on his Truth Social platform showing the suspect charging at the checkpoint before being subdued by police. “He was armed with a shotgun, a handgun, and several knives,” said Jeffery Carroll, the interim chief of the Metropolitan Police Department.

Law enforcement exchanged fire with the suspect and “apprehended the individual.” A Secret Service officer was “hit in the bulletproof vest” and transported to the hospital, while the suspect, unharmed, was also taken to the hospital for examination. He was in custody and is due to appear before a federal judge on Monday in a federal court.

A rifle and shells were found at the scene, said FBI Director Kash Patel, adding that the bureau was conducting witness interviews as part of its investigations.

Who is the suspect?

Donald Trump initially shared photos of the presumed shooter, shirtless and handcuffed, facing the ground in what appears to be the Hilton lobby. Authorities have not yet publicly confirmed his identity, but according to American media, he is a 31-year-old man named Cole Tomas Allen from Torrance, California. As per preliminary information, “we believe he was one of the hotel’s guests,” said Jeffery Carroll to journalists. The detained man is considered the sole suspect in this incident, officials confirmed.

He currently faces two charges: using a firearm in a violent crime and assaulting a federal agent with a dangerous weapon, said federal prosecutor Jeanine Pirro. Additional charges may be brought as the investigation progresses. “My impression is that this was a lone wolf,” said Donald Trump, adding that the suspect’s motive had not yet been established, but he believed the shooter was “sick.”

Were there security failures?

Concerns arose about the security setup at the reception and how a weapon was able to be brought into the hotel. Attendees reported that a metal detector was present outside the ballroom, but there was no such screening at the hotel entrance.

Donald Trump initially said it was “not a particularly secure building,” but later stated that the shooter did not breach the ballroom where the event was held, as it was “very, very secure.” The checkpoint the suspect attempted to force his way through was “just outside the ballroom,” authorities said. “Because (the agents at) this checkpoint did (their) job, no one was injured,” emphasized Mrs. Pirro.

“We will analyze the videos throughout the hotel to understand how the weapon entered, how it got here,” added Jeffery Carroll. According to Donald Trump, the security services did “a much better job than Butler,” where he was the target of an assassination attempt in 2024 during a campaign rally in Pennsylvania.