The president shared shocking footage on Truth Social, showing the moment an individual ran at speed past Secret Service personnel
22:51 ET, 25 Apr 2026Updated 23:35 ET, 25 Apr 2026
Trump called the suspect in custody “a sick person”
President Donald Trump shared shocking and disturbing footage of the suspect believed to have fired shots during the WHC dinner this evening.
The president hosted a press briefing at the White House on Saturday night. Just an hour prior, the president was rushed off the main stage and out of the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner when a shooter opened fire, creating a scene of sheer chaos.
A report from the Associated Press identified the assailant as Cole Tomas Allen, 31, of Torrance, California, citing two law enforcement officials.
Shortly after the FBI announced a suspect was in custody, Trump shared surveillance footage leading up to the attack. In the video, an individual can be seen running at speed past members of the secret service who promptly drew their weapons.
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“He was running full blast, but they got him,” Trump said during the briefing, saying that he was “like a blur,” with the speed at which he ran.
The president also shared two images of the suspect pinned to the ground, with his arms behind his back. In the images, the suspect is shirtless, but in the video, he appears to be wearing a dark shirt.
Trump called the suspect a “sick person”
As chaos broke out at the Washington Hilton hotel, security also whisked first lady Melania Trump, Vice President JD Vance, and press secretary Karoline Leavitt, and several others off the stage.
Trump noted that Melania reacted quickly to the sound of the gunshot. He noted that he “sort of thought it was a tray,” but that “she knew immediately what happened.”
The first lady looked utterly shocked as the shots rang out
The rest of the room was put on lockdown for approximately an hour after the shots were fired. Guests crouched down under their tables for safety and were not permitted to leave the room while security tried to get the situation under control.
In live footage of the incident, an individual could be heard shouting “USA” and “God bless America” repeatedly. CNN reported that the alleged shooter was in the hotel lobby and has been killed.
A Linkedin profile connected to the suspect shows that he worked as a part-time teacher for past 6 years.
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