US Secret Service agents pulled Donald Trump from the stage as gunfire erupted Saturday night at a media gala, in what the president later described as an attack by a “potential assassin.”
Armed guards opened fire on the gunman, who stormed through a security checkpoint outside the hotel ballroom where Trump, First Lady Melania Trump, senior government officials and hundreds of other black-tie guests had gathered.
People ducked under tables in chaotic scenes as Secret Service teams gathered at the glitzy White House Correspondents’ Association dinner held annually at the Washington Hilton in the US capital.
“A man charged a security checkpoint armed with multiple weapons and he was taken down by some very brave members of the Secret Service,” Trump said at a White House news conference shortly after the incident.
“They seem to think he was a lone wolf, and I feel that too,” he said, after posting video of the gunman running past security as guards drew their weapons. The man was arrested at the scene.
Trump said one officer was shot at close range but did not appear to be seriously injured. He added that the venue was not a “particularly secure” facility as questions swirled about the president’s security.
Trump said at the hastily arranged news conference that he initially thought the noise was a tray being dropped before realizing it was gunshots. He said he planned to reschedule the media gala within a month, despite security fears.
City officials said the suspect, who will appear in court Monday on gun and assault charges, appears to have been a guest at the hotel. He was armed with shotguns, pistols and knives.
“Law enforcement exchanged gunfire with the individual,” Washington Police Chief Jeffery Carroll told reporters. “A US Secret Service uniformed division officer was hit in his vest. He was transported to a local hospital for treatment. He appears to be in good spirits.”
EU leaders have reacted by posting messages on social networks. The president of the European Council, António Costa, described the shooting as “deeply disturbing”. “Violence has no place in politics,” said the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen.
French President Emmanuel Macron described the shooting as “unacceptable”.
UPDATE: The article has been updated to include comments from EU leaders.
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