White House Correspondents’ Dinner shooting suspect wrote anti-Trump message to his family
WASHINGTON (NBC, KYMA) - There are new details Monday morning about the moment when President Donald Trump, First Lady Melania Trump, members of his administration and Congress were safely evacuated from the White House Correspondents' Dinner (WHCD) Saturday night after shots rang out.
Officials say the suspect in custody, 31-year-old Cole Allen of Torrance, California, wrote an anti-Trump message to his family, and was targeting administration officials.
Allen is due to be arraigned in federal court Monday.
There are pressing questions Monday over how a would-be assassin made it into the hotel where President Trump, Cabinet members and top congressional leaders were gathered for the WHCD.
There were gunshots coming from outside the basement ballroom.
The president on CBS' 60 Minutes where he talked about the moment he was swept out of the room.
"I wasn't worried. I understand life. We live in a crazy world," Trump expressed.
One floor above, security video shows a gunman sprinting at a security checkpoint, and new video shows him on the ground after officers tackled him.
Investigators say Allen was armed with a shotgun, a pistol and multiple knives.
One Secret Service officer was shot in the confrontation, but is okay thanks to his bulletproof vest.
"We don't believe anybody else was involved, but again, we have a lot of work left to do," said Acting U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche.
Police searching Allen's California home as he's expected to be charged in federal court in Washington.
Investigators say he sent a message to his family shortly before storming the perimeter.
In a copy a senior White House official provided to NBC News, he describes himself as a "friendly federal assassin," saying his targets were administration officials.
Authorities say his family alerted police about the writings.
Allen also wrote about what he considered lax security at the hotel, saying he'd checked in the day before the event.
"The system worked. And that we stopped the suspect," Acting U.S. Attorney General Blanche remarked.
Now, in the aftermath of these stunning moments, when the nation's top leaders were raced to safety, as the media reported amid overturned tables, there is an urgent push for answers.
Trump is arguing the security scare demonstrates the need for his planned ballroom on the White House grounds, with an underground bunker.
Blanche shared a letter urging the National Trust to drop its lawsuit attempting to block any above-ground construction until Congress gives its approval.
