Shots were fired at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner in Washington on Saturday night, forcing guests to duck under tables in the Washington Hilton ballroom.
President Trump, who had arrived at the dinner and was planning to roast the media, was evacuated.
Several loud bangs were heard in the ballroom and backstage. Witnesses counted six shots.
Secret Service with guns drawn rushed the reporters accompanying the president out of the room.
“Shots fired,” screamed the Secret Service agents.
Mr. Trump was whisked off the stage, and Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. was seen limping.
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The president, first lady and vice president were safely escorted out of the event.
Mr. Trump was even considering returning to the event, but will now give a statement from the White House.
Gen. Chance B. Saltzman, chief of Space Force operations, was escorted out of the ballroom with other administration officials.
Less than 20 feet from The Washington Times tables, FBI Director Kash Patel was held by his personal security detail as a situation developed.
Initial reports suggested that the shooter may have been detained by law enforcement officers soon after the shots rang out.
Mr. Trump was attending the first White House Correspondents’ Dinner of his presidency.
PHOTOS: Shots fired at White House Correspondents’ Dinner, Trump rushed from the stage
The dinner is hosted annually at the Hilton.
President Ronald Reagan was shot and grievously wounded at the same hotel months after taking office in 1981.
No instructions were given to the rest of the guests as dignitaries, senators, U.S. representatives and other political and entertainment celebrities were escorted out of the main ballroom.
Guests hid around tables and aisles as they waited to see what threat happened outside the event.
Just before dinner, guests walked through metal detectors before making their way to their seats.
Secret Service created a perimeter around the building along with Capitol police and the U.S. Marshals Service, but only a ticket to the White House Correspondent’s Dinner was needed to bypass the majority of security.
This is the third major shooting involving Mr. Trump.
A representative of the White House Correspondents’ Dinner said the event would resume soon.
• Susan Ferrechio can be reached at sferrechio@washingtontimes.com.
• Jeff Mordock can be reached at jmordock@washingtontimes.com.
• Kerry Picket can be reached at kpicket@washingtontimes.com.
• John T. Seward can be reached at jseward@washingtontimes.com.
• Ben Wolfgang can be reached at bwolfgang@washingtontimes.com.
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