Trump evacuated from White House Correspondents’ Dinner after shots fired; gunman in custody

Anthony Guglielmi, Secret Service spokesman, said that the agency and the Washington, D.C., Metropolitan Police Department are investigating a “shooting incident” near the main security screening area at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner.

The president and first lady, along with all protectees, are safe, he said in a statement shared to social media.

Guglielmi said that a person is in custody.

“The condition of those involved is not yet known, and law enforcement is actively assessing the situation,” he said.

 In a post on Truth Social, President Trump said that a shooter has been apprehended and said that while he wants the dinner to continue, that will be up to law enforcement.

“Quite an evening in D.C. Secret Service and Law Enforcement did a fantastic job. They acted quickly and bravely. The shooter has been apprehended, and I have recommended that we ‘LET THE SHOW GO ON’ but, will entirely be guided by Law Enforcement,” Mr. Trump wrote. “They will make a decision shortly. Regardless of that decision, the evening will be much different than planned, and we’ll just, plain, have to do it again.”

Law enforcement sources initially told CBS News that the shooter was killed, but White House officials later said the person was “neutralized” but alive.

 Attendees of the White House Correspondents Dinner heard what sounded like three to four gun shots around 8:30 p.m. 

The shots sounded like they were fired outside the ballroom, near a back stairwell, opposite the stage where the president was seated. The president was evacuated within seconds.

Gunpowder could be smelled near the back of the room. Among those escorted out by security were Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services Administrator Mehmet Oz, FBI Director Kash Patel and House Majority Leader Steve Scalise. 

A law enforcement source told CBS News at least six shots were fired before the gunman at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner was neutralized. 

The gunman was apparently in the hallway by the metal detectors just outside the ballroom where diners were being served, the source said. 

Cellphone video shot by CBS News senior White House reporter Jennifer Jacobs from the CBS News table captured the immediate moments after shots were fired outside the ballroom. 

The video shows White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller and his wife, Katie Miller, crouched next to the table and shielded by a federal agent before they are led out of the ballroom. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert K. Kennedy, Jr., and his wife, Cheryl Hines, also appeared to be next to Miller. 

Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and his wife, Jennifer, can then be seen leaving the ballroom.

Secret Service officers with guns drawn lined up across the podium area yelling “clear” after multiple shots were heard. 

Images taken by photojournalists at the White House Correspondents Dinner show armed agents escorting away guests including Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin.

Another photo shows attendees hiding under tables what sounded like several gunshots.

Video footage from inside the dinner show attendees crouched next to tables, with security details winding their way among the maze of tables.

Security is evacuating the ballroom at the White House Correspondents Dinner after law enforcement fired shots inside the room, reports CBS News security contributor Sam Vinograd, who is at the event.

She said the incident appeared to happen in the hallway right by CBS News’ table at the annual dinner.

Several Cabinet officials are in attendance at the White House Correspondents Dinner, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert K. Kennedy, Jr., and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.