[0:00]Good evening. We begin tonight with today's shocking events in Washington D.C. President Donald Trump dragged to safety as a government opened fire wounding an officer at a black tie event.
[0:12]It all unfolded at the annual correspondence dinner, guests hiding under tables, a secret service agents scrambled with weapons, grabbing the shooter who is said to be a teacher.
[0:23]The drama playing out on live television. Deep in conversation, Donald Trump didn't appear to notice the shots at first.
[0:33]But the secret service did. Armed agents rushing to protect the president, forcing him to duck behind a table before bundling him and the first lady out of the ballroom.
[0:45]Grainy security vision from the hotel lobby shared by Donald Trump on Truth Social shows the government sprinting past a security checkpoint, shooting as he ran, agents firing back.
[0:58]He didn't make it to the ballroom, taken down and arrested. The sound of gunfire sending a ripple of panic through the White House correspondent's dinner.
[1:09]People hiding under tables as members of Trump's cabinet were rushed to safety.
[1:17]Do you know what happened? Was chaos in there. People are trying to find out what was going on. The wife of slain conservative activist, Charlie Kirk visibly distressed as she was led away.
[1:31]The chaotic scenes playing out on live TV. Media personalities in the audience, now eye witnesses.
[1:38]I think I heard at least three, maybe six gunshots. Boom, boom, boom, boom. And it was just enormously loud.
[1:47]No idea what was going on. With the shooter in custody, the president wanted to come back out, keen to deliver his speech to the room full of political journalists.
[1:57]But police said no. Law enforcement has requested that we leave the premises consistent with protocol.
[2:05]President Trump has just announced that he is going to give a press conference at the White House with the majority of the audience, journalists. They are now evacuating this event and heading there to cover this story that they have been involved in.
[2:18]Sitting front row in their ball gowns and tuxedos. Thank you very much. And that was very unexpected.
[2:26]It's always shocking when something like this happens. Happened to me a little bit. In 2024, the president was shot and wounded at a Pennsylvania rally.
[2:30]The Secret Service opened fire on a man with a rifle while Trump was golfing. There was an assassination threat at a Las Vegas rally in 2016.
[2:43]In 2020, Trump was evacuated after an armed suspect was shot outside the White House. The Secret Service gunned down a man with a shotgun near Trump's home.
[2:54]Nobody told me this was such a dangerous profession. Police are confident the government identified as 31-year-old Cole Thomas Allen from California was acting alone.
[3:06]He was armed with a shotgun, a handgun and multiple knives.
[3:10]He was a guest at the Hilton Hotel in Washington D.C. where the gala was being held. Police say as he ran through security, he shot one of the agents, but he was wearing a bulletproof vest and will be okay.
[3:23]This individual was intent on doing as much harm and as much damage as he could. What his motives were, no one's sure yet, but the president says it's not going to stop him.
[3:34]And we're going to do great things, but with that come risks. There's no question about it. Promising to reschedule the correspondent's dinner within the next 30 days.
[3:46]Live to Mile Hogan in Washington D.C. Mile, the suspected shooter has now been charged.
[3:54]And good evening. He's been hit with two charges, including a firearms offense and wounding a federal officer with a weapon, but he could be facing more.
[4:02]Right now, authorities are searching his hotel room here and his home across the country in California as they tried to determine what drove the suspect to come here to this hotel, to this event and open fire.
[4:16]Now, another major part of this investigation will be looking at how the suspect managed to get into this hotel with multiple weapons and as close to the event as he did.
[4:29]The Secret Service will be reviewing all of their actions this evening and the timing couldn't be worse. King Charles and Queen Camilla are expected to be in Washington D.C. within 48 hours.
[4:39]And this is actually the same hotel where there was an assassination attempt on former US President Ronald Reagan back in 1981.
[4:44]Mile Hogan in Washington D.C. Thank you.
