Correspondents' dinner shooting suspect allegedly wrote about targeting U.S. officials, says Trump

'It was real ready,' ruff says of certificate response at correspondents' dinner

Trump posts security video of suspect running in hotel

Police, federal law enforcement speak and take questions about gunfire at correspondents' dinner

'It was very quick,' Trump says of security response at correspondents' dinner

'Stay down!': Secret Service remove Trump from White House correspondents' dinner

Trump set to attend White House Correspondents' Dinner | Hanomansing Tonight

Reuters

Trump said ‌in an interview ​on Sunday ​on Fox News' The Sunday Briefing ​that the ⁠suspected ⁠shooter ‌at the was stopped by ‌law enforcement and didn't come close to ​entering ⁠the ballroom ⁠where ⁠the ⁠event ​was taking place.

Police, federal law enforcement speak and take questions about gunfire at correspondents' dinner

Washington, D.C., Mayor Muriel Bowser appeared alongside the local police chief and federal law enforcement officials, including FBI and Secret Service representatives, to provide details on the shooting incident, the investigation and what's expected following the shooting incident at the gala dinner.

The suspect was armed with "a shotgun, handgun and multiple knives," said Washington interim police chief Jeffrey Carroll at a news conference Saturday night. 

He said Allen is believed to have been a "lone actor," but that it was too soon to determine what his motivation was. 

Carroll said police officers exchanged gunfire with the suspect, though he was not hurt in the incident. 

Allen purchased the shotgun eight months ago and a semi-automatic pistol about two years earlier, according to Bloomberg, which cited a law enforcement intelligence profile. 

A profile with a name matching the suspect's name on Steam, a digital PC gaming distribution platform, lists one game released in 2018. 

Bohrdom, described on its store page as an "atomic fighting game," allows players to take on the role of colourful emotive subatomic particles as they shoot and dodge photons.

"If you love chemistry or physics, you'll probably enjoy this. If you hate chemistry or physics... You'll still probably enjoy this," reads the game's description. 

According to Steamdb, a site that independently tracks player counts on Steam games, Bohrdom saw only one or two players since its release until a small spike in the dozens of players since Saturday night.

About 90 user reviews and comments were posted over the past day, with some posting Trump meme photos, comments related to the shooting and serious reviews. 

"Real boring, makes you feel like bringing a rifle to a press correspondence dinner," said one reviewer. 

"This should have been a hit game, but the developer never hit the bullseye," said another.

'It was unreal': Inside the shooting incident at the White House correspondents' dinner

It's Paul Hunter in Washington — I was at the dinner last night. 

My table was at the back of the ballroom right by where it all happened. The ballroom doors were directly behind us and had been kept open as the night's program began, with Trump at the head table up front. 

All of a sudden came multiple, super-loud, POP POP POP sounds from just outside those doors. Quite clearly rapid gunfire. I mean it was LOUD.

But my first thought was "This can't be real," that it must be some sort of ill-advised skit or joke. Because the president was here. There's no way it's real.

For a split second everyone sat, stunned. But then people started shouting, "Shooter! Shooter! Get down! Get down!" and it instantly sank in.

Pandemonium followed. Everyone diving under tables, chairs being knocking over. Complete mayhem. 

Behind me was a thick, concrete column. I hid behind it, seeing my colleagues from Radio-Canada across the way crouching under our table. All I was thinking was, "What will happen now?"

Quite honestly I wondered whether a bunch of masked shooters would now come through those doors and start spraying the room with gunfire. Is everyone outside those open doors behind us now dead? Will people around me get shot? Will I get shot? Is my hiding place safe? 

I looked up at the stage and saw Trump already long gone. Then someone near me shouted out that there could be a shooter in the room. No one knew anything. Secret Service agents had meanwhile flooded the front of the room, which added to the surreality of it all. 

How could there be so many of them? And how did they move so quickly? I watched them race toward all the senior politicos sitting at the tables up front, including multiple cabinet secretaries.

Earlier in the evening I'd spotted Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., and Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent. And with Trump and Vice-President JD Vance at the head table, and Secretary of War Pete Hegseth nearby, suffice to say it was a supreme power room.

As things quietened, those cabinet secretaries and other senior politicos were rushed past where we were then standing and effectively pushed out of the room, Secret Service agents surrounding each of them. I happened to notice Kash Patel, head of the FBI, moving directly past our table. It all seemed like madness. Like a bad Hollywood movie. 

Then for what seemed ages we were all left in lockdown, wondering what was going on outside the now closed doors. Eventually we were allowed out only to see a wall of police cars, lights flashing, outside the hotel front door. It was a long walk home.

Trump is taking Saturday's events to make his case for a ballroom in the East Wing of the White House. 

A U.S. Federal judge suspended the controversial $400 million US construction project last month, stating work could not proceed without congressional approval. 

"This event would never have happened with the Militarily Top Secret Ballroom," Trump wrote in a Truth Social post Sunday morning. 

He said security incidents like this are exactly why the military, secret service, law enforcement and "every president for the last 150 years," have been "demanding" to build a ballroom on the grounds of the White House. 

Trump stated the "on budget and substantially ahead of schedule" project would have security features of the highest level, including "no rooms sitting on top for unsecured people to pour in."

"The ridiculous Ballroom lawsuit, brought by a woman walking her dog, who has absolutely No Standing to bring such a suit, must be dropped, immediately," he said.

Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission, said she spoke with Trump Sunday morning to express her solidarity "after the attempted attack."

The European Commission's vice-president Kaja Kallas wished a quick recovery to the police officer injured during the incident.

"An event meant to honour a free press should never become a scene of fear," she said.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez stated that "violence is never the way…. Humanity will only advance through democracy, coexistence, and peace."

Lebanese president Joseph Aoun said he expressed solidarity with the president and wished that the U.S. "enjoys security and safety."

Venezuela's acting President Delcy Rodríguez, who assumed power after leader Nicolás Maduro was captured by the U.S. In January, extended wishes to Trump, his wife and the attendees of the correspondents' dinner. 

"Violence is never an option for those who uphold the values of peace," she said. 

The Associated Press

Trump posts security video of suspect running in hotel

U.S. President Donald Trump posted video and photos on social media of the suspect in what's being described as a 'shooting incident' at the White House correspondents' dinner Saturday night.

Video posted by Trump showed the suspect running past security barricades as Secret Service agents ran toward him. 

One officer was shot in a bullet-resistant vest but was recovering, officials said. The gunman was taken into custody and was not injured, but was being evaluated at a hospital, according to police.

The shooting at the security barricades happened minutes after the event got underway.

"He failed," Blanche said on CBS's Face the Nation. "Law enforcement did their jobs."

Social media posts that appear to match the suspect show he is a highly educated tutor and amateur video game developer.

A May 2025 profile photo of Allen appears to match the appearance of the man in a photo of the alleged attacker being taken into custody that was posted Saturday night by Trump. 

The photo, posted to the social networking site LinkedIn, shows him in a cap and gown after graduating with a master's degree in computer science from California State University, Dominguez Hills.

Allen earned a bachelor's degree in 2017 in mechanical engineering from the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena.

He listed his involvement there in a Christian student fellowship and a campus group that battled with Nerf guns.

Buckingham Palace says it is in talks with U.S. Officials to assess whether the shooting at the White House correspondents' dinner could affect King Charles's upcoming state visit.

"A number of discussions will be taking place throughout the day… to what degree the events of Saturday evening may or may not impact on the operational planning for the visit," a palace spokesperson said.

It added that Charles is being kept informed and is "relieved" that Trump and other guests were unharmed.

Acting U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche said he is confident the King will be safe during the visit, even as investigators believe the attack may have targeted Trump and senior officials.

Prime Minister Mark Carney and other world leaders took to social media to denounce the Saturday night shooting.

"Political violence has no place in any democracy," said Carney, adding he was relieved to hear Trump, his wife Melania and guests were reported safe. 

"My thoughts are with all those who have been shaken by this disturbing event."

French President Emmanuel Macron called the violent incident "unacceptable" and extended his full support to Trump.

The scenes at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner was shocking, said U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer. 

"Any attack on democratic institutions or on the freedom of the press must be condemned in the strongest possible terms," he said. 

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum sent her respects to Trump and his wife, adding, "violence should never be the way."

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu shared his shock at "the attempted assassination" of Trump.

"[We] salute the U.S. Secret service for their swift and decisive action," he said.

Guests inside the Washington Hilton ballroom reported diving under tables as chaos unfolded, with some hearing what sounded like multiple gunshots.

Trump, who was unharmed, described the security response as swift.

"It was very quick," he said, speaking later at the White House. He added that officials "seem to think he was a lone wolf," though the investigation remains in its early stages.

"When you're impactful, they go after you. When you're not impactful, they leave you alone," Trump said.

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