Gunman at DC Gala Believed to Be Targeting US Officials

The armed suspect who tried to enter a Washington ballroom where President Donald Trump was speaking was likely targeting administration officials, Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said.

Blanche said Sunday on NBC’s Meet the Press that the man is believed to have acted alone after traveling by train from California and had been staying at the Washington Hilton, which was hosting the annual White House Correspondents’ Dinner where Trump was scheduled to speak.

Based on our investigations so far “we believe the suspect was targeting administration officials,” Blanche said, citing certain writings by the suspect and interviews with people who knew him. Blanche declined to be drawn on whether Trump was the target, saying only that he was part of the administration. 

It remains unclear what the suspect’s motives were, Blanche said, adding that he doesn’t see a connection to any particular administration policy directive so far. 

The alleged gunman — identified as Cole Tomas Allen, 31, of Torrance, California, will be charged on Monday with assaulting a federal officer and using a firearm in an assault, Blanche said on NBC. He said later on CBS’s Face the Nation that more charges would be possible depending on the shooter’s motive and the evidence gathered during the investigation that is underway.

A Secret Service agent was shot but the round hit his bulletproof vest and the officer “will be fine,” Jeanine Pirro, the US attorney for the District of Columbia, said Saturday night at a news conference. 

The gunfire disrupted Trump’s first appearance as president at the annual dinner, which his predecessors routinely attended. Secret Service officers rushed into the room to evacuate Trump, First Lady Melania Trump, Vice President JD Vance and Cabinet officials. Attendees ducked under tables to take shelter. The incident took place just outside the ballroom of the Washington Hilton where the dinner took place. 

The shooting marked the latest example of political violence that has plagued the nation, including the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the US Capitol and the Pennsylvania governor’s mansion being set ablaze. Trump has been the subject of prior assassination attempts, including at a Pennsylvania rally in 2024, in which his ear was grazed by a bullet. 

The motive of the attacker was unclear but is believed to be a “lone wolf,” Trump said at Saturday night’s news conference.

With assistance from Sam Kim, Hadriana Lowenkron, María Paula Mijares Torres and Josh Wingrove.

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