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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, 7:30 AM

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 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.


Apr 26, 2026 7:29 AM

Secret Service 'performed admirably,' director says

The director of the Secret Service praised his staff's response during the White House Correspondents' Association Dinner incident, saying they "performed admirably."

"Tonight we saw exactly what our brave men and women do each and every day to protect our protectees," Director Sean M. Curran said in a statement released by the service. "It’s not easy and I will tell you that they performed admirably. We got to see what they do."

PHOTO: Secret service agents respond during the White House Correspondents Dinner, April 25, 2026, in Washington.
Tom Brenner/AP
Secret service agents respond during the White House Correspondents Dinner, April 25, 2026, in Washington.
Tom Brenner/AP

The suspect's apprehension at a checkpoint "shows that our multi-layered protection works," he said, adding, "And I’m grateful to our partners that help assist us with building these sites and protecting these sites."

Deputy Director Matthew Quinn also released a statement, saying that "a coward attempted to create a national tragedy."

"He underestimated the protective capabilites of the U.S. Secret Service, and was stopped at first contact," Quinn added. "The strength of our layered security posture was evident, with a myriad of countermeasures still ahead. Grateful for the brave men and women of the Secret Service and our valued Law Enforecment partners."


Apr 26, 2026 4:30 AM

Shooting suspect identified as Cole Allen, according to authorities

The suspect in the White House Correspondents' Association Dinner shooting has been identified as Cole Allen from Torrance, California, according to authorities.

According to law enforcement officials briefed on the investigation, the suspect is believed to have booked a room in the Hilton in early April.

He is declining to answer questions but allegedly made some reference to targeting administration officials but was not specific, the officials said.

He mentioned that he is a tutor in California, according to officials.

-ABC News' Pierre Thomas, Luke Barr, Katherine Faulders and Josh Margolin



Apr 26, 2026 4:30 AM

Shooting suspect armed with shotgun, handgun, knives

The suspect in the shooting incident at the White House Correspondents Association dinner Saturday night was armed with a shotgun, a handgun and multiple knives, officials said at a press briefing late Saturday night.

At approximately 8:36 p.m. ET, the suspect charged a U.S. Secret Service checkpoint at the Hilton hotel, where the event was taking place, and exchanged gunfire with law enforcement, according to Jeff Carroll, Interim Chief of Police for Washington, D.C.'s Metropolitan Police Department.

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

A U.S. Secret Service Uniform Division officer was struck in his vest and was transported to local hospital for treatment, officials said.

The suspect, who was not struck by gunfire, was transported to a local hospital to be evaluated, according to officials.

U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro confirmed at the press briefing that the suspect, who has not yet been publicly identified, was "being charged with two counts: 924C, using a firearm during a crime of violence, and a second crime under 111, which is assault on a Federal officer, using a dangerous weapon."

Pirro also confirmed that a uniformed Secret Service agent was shot but would be “fine.”

-ABC News' Nicholas Kerr and Lauren Minore


Apr 26, 2026 8:48 PM

Suspect described himself as 'friendly federal assassin' in letter to family, sources say

The White House Correspondent's Association dinner shooting suspect allegedly sent a message to his family, just before attempting to carry out an attack at the dinner Saturday evening, in which he described himself as a "friendly federal assassin," sources familiar with his message told ABC News.

The suspect, Cole Allen, wrote that he planned to target administration officials, prioritized from highest-ranking to lowest, according to sources familiar with his message.

In the message shared with family members, Allen apparently said that while dinner guests were not his "targets," he "would still go through most everyone here to get to the targets if it were absolutely necessary."

PHOTO: A man named Cole Allen, who appears to be the same person as the suspect in the shooting incident at the annual White House Correspondents' Association dinner in Washington, D.C., April 25, 2026, is interviewed by KABC in Los Angeles in March 2017.
KABC
A man named Cole Allen, who appears to be the same person as the suspect in the shooting incident at the annual White House Correspondents' Association dinner in Washington, D.C., April 25, 2026, is interviewed by KABC in Los Angeles in March 2017.
KABC

Allen did not mention President Donald Trump by name in his message, the sources said. Allen did write that FBI Director Kash Patel was not a target but did not explain why, the sources said.

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said Sunday morning on NBC that the suspect was targeting administration officials "likely including the president," but added that the information was preliminary because the investigation is ongoing.

-ABC News' Katherine Faulders, Pierre Thomas, Jack Date and Luke Barr


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