THE suspected gunman who stormed a security checkpoint and opened fire outside the White House Correspondents’ Dinner on Saturday, April 25, will face federal charges on Monday, as investigators continue probing the motive behind the attack.
The attack on Saturday night forced the evacuation of the United States President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump from the event.
The suspect, identified as 31-year-old Cole Tomas Allen of Torrance, California, was arrested after he allegedly charged security at the Washington Hilton Hotel in Washington, D.C., where the annual high-profile media dinner was underway.
Reports indicate that the suspect was armed with a shotgun, a handgun and multiple knives before he was intercepted by the United States Secret Service.
Reacting to the development, Washington D.C. interim police chief, Jeffrey Carroll, said officers exchanged gunfire with the suspect after he broke through the checkpoint.
“As he ran through that checkpoint, members of law enforcement from the United States Secret Service intercepted that individual,” Caroll said.
He added that the suspect was not hit by gunfire and appeared to be acting alone. “It does appear he is a lone actor, a lone gunman,” he added.
On her part, the United States Attorney Jeanine Pirro said Allen would face two counts of using a firearm during a crime of violence and assault on federal officers, using a dangerous weapon. She said he would be formally charged on Monday.
During the attack, Secret Service agents quickly rushed Trump and his wife out of the ballroom, while senior administration officials, including Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth, were also escorted to safety.
According to reports, guests and journalists were ordered to remain inside the ballroom under lockdown as security operatives secured the premises.
Trump shares suspect images, reacts
Meanwhile, shortly after the incident, Trump posted both photographs and a video of the suspected gunman on social media.
One of the images showed a shirtless man lying on the ground with his hands restrained behind his back as Secret Service officers stood around him.
The blurry video also captured a man rushing past security personnel at a checkpoint. Some officers were seen quickly pursuing him.
Speaking later from the White House, Trump described the attack as shocking and said the event was meant to celebrate freedom of speech.
Trump said a Secret Service officer was shot at close range but was protected by his bulletproof vest.
The president initially pushed for the dinner to continue after the suspect was apprehended, writing on Truth Social that he had recommended authorities should “let the show go on,” but security agencies insisted the event be suspended.
He also announced that the dinner would be rescheduled within 30 days.
Authorities said investigations were ongoing, while the motive behind the attack remained unclear.
The incident came less than two years after Trump survived an assassination attempt during a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on July 13, 2024.
At the rally, then-candidate Trump was struck in the upper right ear after gunman Thomas Crooks fired from a nearby rooftop.
One rally attendee was killed and two others were critically injured before Secret Service snipers shot the attacker dead.
Speaking further after Saturday’s incident, Trump linked the latest attack to those earlier attempts, saying people who make the biggest impact often become targets.
“I’ve studied assassinations, and I must tell you, the most impactful people, the people that do the most…the people that make the biggest impact, they’re the ones that they go after,” he said.
He described the suspect as “a very sick person” and said federal agents were executing search warrants at his California apartment.
Saturday’s shooting adds to the past assassination attempts on United States officials, particularly the 1981 shooting of former President Ronald Reagan.
Reagan was shot outside the same Washington Hilton after delivering a speech.
According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation, John Hinckley Jr. fired six shots as Reagan walked toward his limousine.
One bullet ricocheted off the presidential limousine and struck Reagan in the chest, while others wounded his press secretary James Brady, a Secret Service agent, and a Washington police officer.
Mustapha Usman is an investigative journalist with the International Centre for Investigative Reporting. You can easily reach him via: musman@icirnigeria.com. He tweets @UsmanMustapha_M