Here's the latest
• Suspect’s note: Investigators are combing through a message sent by the man accused of charging through a security checkpoint and opening fire at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner in Washington, DC. The suspect “clearly stated” he wanted to target administration officials, the White House said.
• Court arraignment: Cole Tomas Allen, the 31-year-old sources have identified as the suspected gunman, is expected to be arraigned in federal court today. He faces two charges: using a firearm during a crime of violence and assault on a federal officer using a dangerous weapon.
• Trump’s response: President Donald Trump said in an interview he “wasn’t worried” there would be injuries after the sound of gunfire rang out, detailing how he and first lady Melania Trump realized the seriousness of the situation.
Former acting FBI Director outlines what to expect following today's arraignment
Cole Tomas Allen, the 31-year-old sources have identified as the suspected gunman in Saturday night’s shooting, is expected to be arraigned in federal court today.
CNN Senior Law Enforcement Analyst and former acting FBI Director Andrew McCabe has laid out what we can expect from the arraignment, saying that the suspect will be “officially charged in public with the offenses.”
“We should hear some additional details from the prosecutors about what’s been uncovered in the investigation so far,” he told CNN’s Audie Cornish this morning.
The analyst also said that he expects more charges to be leveled against the suspect as the investigation into the shooting continues.
Melania Trump faced security concerns in a new way this weekend
“A bad noise.”
That was first lady Melania Trump’s first reaction, according to her husband, to hearing gunshots outside the ballroom where she and President Donald Trump were seated onstage for Saturday’s White House Correspondents’ Dinner.
She straightened, eyes ahead, as law enforcement rushed toward the dias, then crouched under the table before being escorted out of the room to a secure location with the president and his staff.
It marked the first time Melania Trump, who has closely guarded her privacy and independence in her second term, has been alongside her husband when he has been aggressively evacuated by the Secret Service. She has said she learned about the 2024 assassination attempts against him in Butler, Pennsylvania, and at a West Palm Beach, Florida, golf course from watching TV while in a different city from her husband.
“I’ve been through this before a couple of times, and she has not — to this extent. She handled it great,” Donald Trump told CBS News’ “60 Minutes” on Sunday.
On the eve of her 56th birthday, the first lady — who’s long been concerned about security — recognized the danger she might face, her usual stoicism giving way to a look of surprise and distress.
The president, who had told reporters that it was “a rather traumatic experience” for his wife, was asked Sunday whether she had been scared.
“I don’t want to say, and people don’t like having it said that they were scared, but certainly, I mean, who wouldn’t be when you have a situation like that?” he told CBS.
Read the full story here.
Trump calls CBS correspondent a "disgrace" after question on suspect's writings
As we’ve reported, President Donald Trump sat down yesterday for an interview with CBS’ “60 Minutes.”
He called CBS News’ Norah O’Donnell a “disgrace” in a terse response after she read excerpts from writings by Cole Tomas Allen, the suspect in the White House Correspondents’ Dinner shooting incident.
You can watch the exchange below.
US President Donald Trump called CBS News’ Norah O’Donnell a “disgrace” in a terse response after she read excerpts from writings by Cole Tomas Allen, the suspected gunman in the White House Correspondents’ Dinner shooting incident, on “60 Minutes.”
Trump says in interview he "wasn't worried" as sound of gunfire rang out
In an interview with CBS’ “60 Minutes” aired last night, President Donald Trump discussed this weekend’s shooting incident at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner in Washington, DC.
If you’re just joining us, catch up on what the president said below:
- Trump detailed how he and first lady Melania Trump realized the seriousness of the situation during the White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner, describing how the atmosphere began to shift.
- Trump said that despite the suspected gunman’s quick movements through the hotel hallway, law enforcement also reacted quickly.
- He also said that First Lady Melania Trump “handled it great” when shots were fired at the event.
- The president said he may have slowed the response of the United States Secret Service when shots rang out at the dinner, because he “wanted to see what was happening.”
- Trump said that he “wasn’t worried” there would be injuries after the sound of gunfire rang out at the Washington Hilton.
- The US leader said he does not believe political violence in his country is worse now than in the past, while also arguing that Democratic rhetoric is contributing to a dangerous environment.
- Trump called for the interrupted White House Correspondents’ Dinner to be rescheduled within 30 days and include more security.
- He also accused members of the press of being “almost one in the same” with the Democratic Party when asked whether the shooting would change his relationship with the media.
- After CBS’ Norah O’Donnell read Trump excerpts from the suspected gunman’s writings, the president turned sharply defensive — calling the “60 Minutes” journalist a “disgrace.”
CNN’s Alejandra Jaramillo, Emily R. Condon, Zoe Sottile and Piper Hudspeth Blackburn contributed to this reporting.
Map shows where agents confronted a gunman at Washington hotel
Authorities say a gunman charged through a security checkpoint at Saturday night’s White House Correspondents’ Dinner, but never reached the ballroom where the event was taking place.
Here’s a closer look at the layout at the Washington Hilton, the iconic hotel that was hosting the dinner:
How the shooting unfolded on Saturday night
CNN’s Brian Todd broke down the moments leading up to the shooting at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, and what unfolded afterward:
After shots were heard during the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, President Donald Trump was rushed off the stage unhurt, and he and his Cabinet members are all safe. CNN’s Brian Todd breaks down how the shooting unfolded.
What we know about the suspected gunman
Authorities have identified 31-year-old Cole Tomas Allen, from Torrance, California, as the suspect taken into custody in connection with Saturday’s shooting at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner.
Allen is being charged with two counts of using a firearm and one count of assault on a federal officer using a dangerous weapon, according to the US Attorney for the District of Columbia, Jeanine Pirro. Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said the suspect is not cooperating with authorities.
He is expected to be arraigned today, authorities said.
Allen boarded a train in Los Angeles and traveled to Chicago and then Washington, DC, where he checked into the downtown hotel hosting the annual dinner featuring President Donald Trump and including other top administration officials.
He came armed with a .38-caliber semi-automatic pistol and a 12-gauge shotgun, authorities told CNN.
Here’s what else we know about the suspect:
- He graduated in 2017 with a mechanical engineering degree, according to his LinkedIn profile, and was featured in a Caltech graduation announcement posted by the private university in Pasadena, California.
- After graduating, he found work as a part-time teacher at C2 Education, a test prep and tutoring company. C2 named Allen the company’s “teacher of the month” in December 2024, according to social media posts from the company.
- He also said he worked as a video game developer and published an indie game called Bohrdom for sale on the Steam gaming platform for $1.99. The game is described on Steam as a “skill-based, non-violent asymmetrical fighting game loosely derived from a chemistry model that is itself loosely based on reality.”
- Allen became involved in political activism in recent years, his sister, who lives in Rockville, Maryland, told authorities, according to the White House, including joining “The Wide Awakes,” a leftist group whose name is a callback to the anti-slavery protesters in the 1860s who worked to get Abraham Lincoln elected president.
- Allen donated $25 to Kamala Harris’ presidential campaign in October 2024, according to Federal Election Commission records.
Shooting suspect expected in court — here's the latest
We’re back with coverage, as the investigation into the motive of a suspect following Saturday night’s attack at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner enters a second day.
CNN is on the ground in the neighborhood of the suspect Cole Tomas Allen, where we saw agents in FBI jackets knocking on neighboring homes on Sunday. Officers said they were looking for Ring cameras.
Detectives are also combing through a message sent by the 31-year-old, from Torrance, California. He is accused of charging through a security checkpoint and opening fire at the press gala.
Catch up on the latest developments:
- Trump gets defensive: In a “60 Minutes” interview, US President Donald Trump commended law enforcement’s quick reactions during the shooting. But he became defensive when journalist Norah O’Donnell read an excerpt of the suspect’s writings, which didn’t mention Trump by name: “I am no longer willing to permit a pedophile, rapist and traitor to coat my hands with his crimes.” Trump called O’Donnell “a disgrace” before taking jabs at the press.
- Family’s timeline: The Trump administration is trying to clarify the timeline of when the suspected gunman’s family learned of his writings and when they notified local police in Connecticut, multiple sources told CNN.
- Gun purchases: Investigators found records indicating that Allen legally purchased a .38-caliber semi-automatic pistol from a southern California store in 2023 and a 12-gauge shotgun from his hometown in 2025, according to law enforcement officials. Both times, Allen was required to submit his information for FBI screening.
- Number of shots fired: Authorities currently believe it is likely Allen opened fire one to two times, followed by a Secret Service officer firing three to four rounds, a law enforcement source familiar with the investigation told CNN, based on a preliminary investigation. The officer fired on Allen just before he was apprehended but did not strike him, the source said.
CNN’s Josh Campbell, Kristen Holmes, Maureen Chowdhury and Sarah Moon contributed reporting.
