A man involved in a shooting incident outside the White House Correspondents’ Dinner expressed to police that he intended to target officials from the Trump administration. The suspect, identified as Cole Thomas Allen, a teacher and video game developer, did not specify aiming at President Trump but mentioned “administration officials,” according to law enforcement sources cited by CBS News. Reports indicated that around five to eight gunshots were discharged during the altercation.

Allegedly, Allen, aged 31 and from Torrance, California, managed to gain unauthorized access to the event as a guest. Authorities disclosed that the individual was in possession of various weapons, including a shotgun, handgun, and knives.

Law enforcement officials revealed that the suspect breached a security checkpoint at the Washington Hilton Hotel where the dinner was being held and fired at a Secret Service agent from close range. Fortunately, the agent was unharmed due to wearing a bullet-proof vest.

It was mentioned that the suspect had not been previously flagged by law enforcement and had no criminal record. The armed man was reported to have been a guest at the hotel where the incident occurred.

During a press conference following the incident, Donald Trump shared an image of the apprehended suspect, describing him as a “lone wolf whack job” and indicating that the individual appeared to have acted alone.

Jeffrey Carroll, the interim chief of police for the Metropolitan Police Department, stated, “We do believe he was a guest here at the hotel. We have secured a room here in the hotel, and again, we’ll go through the appropriate procedures to determine what was inside there.”

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