• Video
  • Shop
  • Culture
  • Family
  • Wellness
  • Food
  • Living
  • Style
  • Travel
  • News
  • Book Club
  • Newsletter
  • Privacy Policy
  • Your US State Privacy Rights
  • Children's Online Privacy Policy
  • Interest-Based Ads
  • Terms of Use
  • Do Not Sell My Info
  • Contact Us
  • © 2026 ABC News
ABC News

White House correspondents' dinner shooting: Suspect described himself as 'friendly federal assassin' in letter, sources say

PHOTO: The Washington Hilton hotel is seen on Sunday, April, 26, 2026, in Washington.
3:37
Jose Luis Magana/AP
Trump recalls White House Correspondents' Dinner shooting in interview
By Christopher Watson, Kevin Shalvey
Last Updated: April 26, 2026, 5:45 PM

President Donald Trump, first lady Melania Trump and other dignitaries are safe after a shooting incident outside the White House Correspondents' Association Dinner Saturday night at the Washington, D.C., Hilton hotel.

The incident took place near the main magnetometer screening area at the event, according to the Secret Service. A suspect, whom law enforcement authorities identified as Cole Allen of Torrance, California, is in custody, officials said.

A Secret Service agent who was wearing an armored vest was struck in the chest, President Trump said at a press briefing following the incident. The Secret Service agent suffered non life-threatening injuries, according to the Washington, D.C., Metropolitan Police Department. No one else was injured in the incident.

A motive for the attack was not immediately known.

Key Headlines

  • Suspect used stairwell out of public view to get close to ballroom, sources say
  • WHCD suspect was 'very intelligent ... normal and friendly,' say former tutoring students
  • Trump recalls shooting in interview, says he read alleged gunman's manifesto
  • Suspect described himself as 'friendly federal assassin' in letter to family, sources say
  • 'A harrowing moment': WHCA president shares statement about dinner shooting
Here's how the news is developing.

Apr 26, 2026 5:45 PM

Suspected shooter 'sought to assassinate the president,' Leavitt says

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said the suspected shooter at Saturday night's White House Correspondents' Association dinner intended to kill President Donald Trump.

"What was supposed to be a fun night at the @WHCA dinner with President Trump delivering jokes and celebrating free speech was hijacked by a depraved crazy person who sought to assassinate the President and kill as many top Trump administration officials as possible," Leavitt wrote in a post on X Sunday.

PHOTO: President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump, next to White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, attend the annual White House Correspondents' Association dinner in Washington, April 25, 2026.
Jonathan Ernst/Reuters
President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump, next to White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, attend the annual White House Correspondents' Association dinner in Washington, April 25, 2026.
Jonathan Ernst/Reuters

"I was with President Trump and the First Lady back stage after we were quickly ushered to safety by Secret Service. President Trump was truly fearless, but as he said last night, this political violence needs to end," Leavitt wrote.

"Thank you to law enforcement for keeping all of us safe, including the brave agent who took a bullet to the chest and immediately moved to neutralize the shooter. Pray for our country," the post concluded.


Apr 26, 2026 4:01 PM

Handwritten notes found in hotel room of WHCA dinner shooting suspect, per law enforcement sources

Handwritten notes found in the hotel room of the suspect in the White House Correspondents' Association dinner shooting Saturday appear to have been left with the intent that officials would find them, according to multiple law enforcement sources.

Sources tell ABC News that the suspect, Cole Allen, allegedly made brief statements to law enforcement officials after his arrest that he was focusing on Trump administration officials, and that he allegedly indicated that authorities would be able to find his thoughts in written form.

PHOTO: Law enforcement detains a suspect in the shooting at the White House Correspondents' Association dinner, in Washington, April 25, 2026.
@realDonaldTrump/Truth Social
Law enforcement detains a suspect in the shooting at the White House Correspondents' Association dinner, in Washington, April 25, 2026.
@realDonaldTrump/Truth Social

Sources say early evidence suggests that Allen's plans were to target as many people as possible in a mass shooting.

According to law enforcement sources, the alleged writings expressed a distaste for the Trump administration and also for Washington, D.C., elites.

Other similar writings were found in Allen's California home, sources told ABC News.

-ABC News' Jack Date, Pierre Thomas, Luke Barr, Aaron Katersky, Josh Margolin, and Katherine Faulders


Apr 26, 2026 1:40 PM

'The system worked,' Acting Attorney General Blanche says

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said Sunday that "the system worked" and kept President Donald Trump and other leaders safe from the shooting Saturday night at the White House Correspondents' Association Dinner that they were attending.

"The system worked; law enforcement and the Secret Service protected all of us. The man barely got past the perimeter. And so when you have a perimeter designed to keep people safe, like President Trump, and it works – that's something that should be applauded," Blanche told "This Week" anchor George Stephanopoulos.

PHOTO: Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche appears on ABC News' "This Week" on April 26, 2026.
ABC News
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche appears on ABC News' "This Week" on April 26, 2026.
ABC News

Blanche said the suspect, whom law enforcement has identified as 31-year-old Cole Allen from Torrance, Calif., was likely acting alone, although investigations are ongoing.

"We believe that he traveled by train from Los Angeles to Chicago and then Chicago to Washington, D.C.," Blanche said.

Asked how the suspect may have gotten a firearm into the hotel, Blanche replied, "It's a good question. And listen, I'm not sure. It appears that he checked in on the 24th [of April] to the hotel, and we're still looking at video surveillance and footage of where he walked and how he got in and how those firearms got in, but at the end of the day, I expect we'll have a lot more about that in the coming days."

-ABC News' Oren Oppenheim



Apr 26, 2026 12:34 PM

Suspect Cole Allen held by DC police ahead of Monday court appearance

Cole Thomas Allen, the suspect in the White House Correspondents' Association dinner shooting, is being held in the Washington, D.C., Metropolitan Police Department's Third District after being released from an area hospital overnight, according to law enforcement sources.

Allen is expected to appear in court on Monday.

A Secret Service Uniformed Division officer was also treated and released overnight from a different area hospital, according to sources.

-ABC News' Jack Date


Apr 26, 2026 7:30 AM

Law enforcement gathers near address in Torrance, California

Officers from multiple law enforcement agencies, including the FBI and members of a SWAT team, were gathering late on Saturday near an address in Torrance, California, thought to be associated with the suspect.

PHOTO: An armed FBI agent stands outside the residence associated with Cole Tomas Allen, the suspect in the shooting incident at the annual White House Correspondents' Association dinner in Washington, D.C., in Torrance, California, U.S., April 25, 2026.
Daniel Cole/Reuters
An armed FBI agent stands outside the residence associated with Cole Tomas Allen, the suspect in the shooting incident at the annual White House Correspondents' Association dinner in Washington, D.C., in Torrance, California, U.S., April 25, 2026.
Daniel Cole/Reuters

Authorities earlier identified Cole Allen, the suspect in the White House Correspondents' Association Dinner incident, as a resident of Torrance, a city southwest of Los Angeles.


GMA Newsletters

Sign up for our newsletters to get GMA delivered to your inbox every morning!

Up Next in news

PHOTO: In this April 20, 2025, file photo, Prince Andrew leaves after attending the Easter Matins Service at St. George's Chapel, Windsor Castle in Windsor, England.

Man arrested near former Prince Andrew's home appears in court

May 8, 2026
PHOTO: As part of his civic curriculum, Leon Smith takes his students at Haverford High School to the Pennsylvania state capitol.

Black educators say they're committed to the profession amid growing pressures, underrepresentation

May 8, 2026
PHOTO: Jake Reiner attends the Los Angeles premiere of "Things Like This" at Landmark Theatres Sunset on May 13, 2025 in Los Angeles, California.

Jake Reiner discusses death of parents Rob and Michelle Reiner in return to podcast

May 7, 2026

The latest lifestyle and entertainment news and inspiration for how to live your best life - all from Good Morning America.
  • Contests
  • Terms of Use
  • Privacy Policy
  • Do Not Sell My Info
  • Children’s Online Privacy Policy
  • Advertise with us
  • Your US State Privacy Rights
  • Interest-Based Ads
  • About Nielsen Measurement
  • Press
  • Feedback
  • Shop FAQs
  • ABC News
  • ABC
  • All Videos
  • All Topics
  • Sitemap

© 2026 ABC News
  • Privacy Policy— 
  • Your US State Privacy Rights— 
  • Children's Online Privacy Policy— 
  • Interest-Based Ads— 
  • Terms of Use— 
  • Do Not Sell My Info— 
  • Contact Us— 

© 2026 ABC News