This is the moment we realized what was happening and got down on the stage. Seconds before, all we could see was a throng of law enforcement barreling toward us from the doors at the back of the room.
Secret agents swept VP Vance, who was seated next to me, into the back. I laid on the floor for a few minutes as agents scanned the room, guns drawn, looking for threats. One agent asked the other “are you tracking it?” - the other said “no”. For a minute, it wasn’t clear if there was no threat in the room or if they just couldn’t see it. I said a prayer and wished I had my phone, which was on the table, to text my mom at home, and fiance who was at a table in the crowd. Soon, an agent nodded to me that it was OK to crawl backstage - so I did.
Getty Photographer @andyharnik shot this video and many photos - not hesitating for a moment to capture history unfolding, even as a fellow WHCA board member on that stage alongside the President of the United States.
Surreal night.
Eyewitness Account of the gunman before during and after the shooting!
Am I hearing this right? He put the gun together in a cordoned off area next to a security, where the bar carts were?
Never thought I’d be hitting the ground again after Butler, Pennsylvania, as a result of shots being fired. Brings back a lot of terrible memories—I am so thankful that everyone in attendance tonight is okay. We’re all in this together, stay strong!
💪🇺🇸🦅
While the ground shook and fear took over, the horse didn’t run—it stood its ground. Shielding the woman with pure instinct, it chose protection over panic. In a moment of chaos, that animal showed more courage and loyalty than most ever could.
.@ScottJenningsKY: "One other thing going on in Washington. The guy who took a bullet tonight, a Secret Service agent, they are not being paid. They work for the Department of Homeland Security. It has been unfunded for 70 days. And so, when I look at these law enforcement guys, particularly at the federal level in DHS, the Secret Service guys, putting your life on the line. And I've seen a picture of one of the agents standing directly in front of the President of United States. Heroes. Absolute, absolute heroes, what they do. And then, like, how we treat them, look how -- look how the political system treats them. And so grateful to all the agents and all the law enforcement that put their lives on the line. One took a bullet. Now, he had the vest, but he took a bullet. Thank God for these people."
🚨 JUST IN: President Trump reveals the building WAS NOT SECURE and this is why he needs to surge renovations at the White House
"I didn't want to say this..."
“We need the ballroom, the MILITARY is demanding it!”
“We need levels of security never seen before.”
“This is why we have to have all the attributes of what we’re planning at the White House!”
He's right. It's HISTORIC LEVELS OF DANGER
Cole Allen’s Sister Avriana Allen Developed Voter Guides for CalMatters and Holds Elite Journalism Credentials
Avriana F. Allen, 27, of Washington, D.C., is the sister of Cole Tomas Allen, the 31-year-old Torrance, California teacher identified by authorities as the suspect in the April 25, 2026, shooting at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner. Public records confirm the sibling relationship through shared mother Kathleen A. Allen and prior family address in Torrance.
Family records link: https://t.co/L10EY23kk3
Avriana worked as Full Stack Web Developer at CalMatters, a left-leaning nonprofit California newsroom, from 2021 until her recent layoff. In her LinkedIn post, she noted building the interactive California Voter Guides for the 2021 Recall Election, 2022 general election, and 2024 presidential election. These tools provided explanations of voting deadlines, ballots, statewide propositions, key races, candidate positions, and district lookups.
Her LinkedIn post: https://t.co/vru6jD9RS1
Examples:
• 2024 Voter Guide: https://t.co/2sDiJXkaCr
• 2022 Voter Guide: https://t.co/8U6iizTwwR
She also redesigned the CalMatters homepage, improved navigation and archive pages, and created internal tools for the editorial team.
Avriana earned a Bachelor of Science from Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism (Class of 2021), double-majoring in journalism and statistics with a minor in creative writing. Her prior roles included Interactives Editor at North by Northwestern and work at Northwestern’s Knight Lab, plus a 2020 Engineering Fellowship at the Texas Tribune. She currently works as Junior Tooling and Support Engineer at the Pew Research Center in Washington, D.C. (started September 2025).
Her Medill journalism degree and experience building digital tools for news organizations placed her in professional D.C. journalism and research networks. There is no public evidence that Avriana Allen attended the 2026 White House Correspondents’ Dinner, received press credentials for the event, or had any involvement in or prior knowledge of the shooting.
Additional links:
-Avriana’s LinkedIn: https://t.co/3QwWCjfhIN
-Portfolio: https://t.co/wz2HJF5bm8
-X account: https://t.co/BSOasUWxMJ
-Knight Lab profile: https://t.co/HnEiDKp23J
-Pew staff page: https://t.co/C4LeiLacxY
Questions the Secret Service should ask her:
-Did Cole stay at your D.C. residence before or on April 25, 2026?
-Did you meet up with Cole in D.C. around the shooting date?
-When was your last phone call, text, or in-person contact with Cole?
-Did Cole discuss travel plans, the WHCD, or any weapons with you?
-Have you provided him money, a place to stay, or event access?
-Did you share any press credentials or D.C. contacts with him?
-Were you aware of his trip to Washington?
.@ScottJennings at 1005pm Eastern on the #WHCD shooting: "You know, I saw a post from Congressman Jared Moskowitz, a Democrat from Florida who said that when this happened, it was Steve Scalise, the House Republican Majority Leader, who grabbed him and threw him into a secure location. Of course, Steve Scalise himself was shot, years ago in the congressional baseball game. One other thing that I think should be noted, the Secret Service is an agency that exists in the Department of Homeland Security, which has been shut down and not funded for 70+ days. So, when I think about watching these Secret Service agents and their heroism and what they have to do, they're currently working in an agency that, you know, for many, many, many weeks now has not been taken care of. So, I suspect members of Congress are going to have to confront that. And it started this past week. But but that's got to get fixed."
The White House Correspondents’ Dinner shooter was armed with a shotgun, handgun, and multiple knives, according to DC police chief Jeffrey Carroll.
The shooter was identified as 31-year-old teacher Cole Allen from Torrance, California.
The suspect emerged from a "makeshift room" near the entrance, where "there was no security" near where bar carts were stored, according to the New York Post.
"He was in that room... he grabbed it out of a bag or something." The weapon "was long" and "didn’t look like a typical gun," a witness who was a volunteer at the event told the Post.
It is reportedly believed that Allen was a guest at the Hilton hotel where the dinner took place.
🚨 NOW: President Trump just gave the PERFECT ANSWER
“Why does it [assassination attempts] keep happening to you?”
TRUMP: The ones that do the most — they go after. They go after impactful people.
“I hate to say I’m honored by that.”
🔥🔥🔥
🚨 JUST IN: President Trump just DROPPED this ICONIC LINE after another assassination attempt
"It's my life. I wanna live. Because I wanna make this country great. That's why I want to LIVE!"
WE LOVE 47 🇺🇸🇺🇸
🚨 An accuser just BLEW THE WHISTLE on Eric Swalwell’s alleged s*xual assault
"I went to the bathroom, I don't remember anything after…flashes of that evening him on top of me, me pushing him, him grabbing me. It was a lot more aggressive."
He’s DONE.
🚨 JUST IN: President Trump is infuriating the Democrats by CONFIRMING he takes a $0 DOLLAR salary, compared to other presidents
He just loves America 🇺🇸🇺🇸
🚨 BREAKING: Senior staffers from BOTH Eric Swalwell’s Congressional office and gubernatorial campaign have released a statement CONDEMNING Swalwell
This guy is FINISHED!
“The behavior detailed in these reports is ABHORRENT, beneath the dignity of those serving in public office and BETRAYS the trust of all Californians.”
“Any decision of staff members to remain in their roles in the interim should NOT be viewed as support for Eric Swalwell.”
“We, more than [Swalwell], understand that we have obligations to the people we lead and to the constituents of California's 14th Congressional District.”
— Senior staff, Office of California's 14th Congressional District
— Senior staff, Eric Swalwell for Governor 2026