skip to main content

How the shooting at the White House Correspondents' Dinner unfolded

WASHINGTON, DC - APRIL 25: Members of the National Guard and the U.S. Secret Service respond at the Washington Hilton after the White House Correspondents Association Dinner was postponed on April 25, 2026 in Washington, DC. U.S. President Donald Trump, f
Members of the National Guard and the US Secret Service respond at the Washington Hilton after the White House Correspondents' Association Dinner

A gunman fired shots inthe hotel hosting the White House Correspondents' Association dinner, causing President Donald Trump and hiscabinet to be rushed out before the suspect was ⁠taken into custody.

Here is a timeline of the incident and its immediate aftermath:

* Around 8.35pm (1.35 am Sunday Irish time), guests at the Washington Hilton dinner took cover when shots were heard, video footage showed. Soon after, Secret Service agents rushed towards Mr Trump, escorting the president and his cabinet from the ballroom.

* A sole gunman had rushed a Secret Service checkpoint in a lobby, Washington, DC, Mayor Muriel Bowser and interim Police Chief Jeffery Carroll later told reporters.

* The suspect charged the Secret Service checkpoint in the hotel's lobby area ‌and was armed with a ⁠shotgun, a handgun and multiple knives, Mr Carroll said. As the suspect ran through thatcheckpoint, Secret Service members intercepted him.

* A Secret Service agent was injured and transported to a local hospital, the mayor said, adding the suspect was also transferred to a local hospital where he was evaluated.

* "We do know that law enforcement exchanged gunfire withthe ‌individual. ... The suspect in this case, he was not struckby gunfire," Mr Carroll said.

"Law enforcement ... they actually tackled him into the ground and handcuffed ⁠him."

* Around 9.17pm (2.17am Irish time), Mr Trump made his first comments after the shooting, saying ‌law enforcement "acted quickly and bravely."

Mr Trump posted on Truth Social that "the shooter has been apprehended." ⁠Mr Trump said ‌he recommended that the event continue.

* About 20 minutes later, Mr Trump posted again saying law enforcement asked him and others to leave the premises of the venue and that he was complying with that request. The event will be rescheduled "within 30 ⁠days," Mr Trump said.

* Around 10.30pm (3.30am Irish time), Mr Trump addressed the media in a press conference at ⁠the White House, accompanied by the director of the FBI and the acting US attorney general.

Mr Trump and other law enforcement officials said preliminary information suggested the suspect was a lone shooter.

* Around 11.13pm (4.13am Irish time), Jeanine Pirro, the US Attorney for the District of Columbia, told reporters the suspect was being charged with using a firearm during a crime of violence and assault on ‌a federal officer with a dangerous weapon.