‘Courage shows up in different ways’: How Indian journalists survived the shooting at Trump’s dinner

Chaos erupted as gunshots rang out at the annual White House Correspondents' Association dinner in Washington DC last night. United States President Donald Trump, First Lady Melania Trump and Vice President JD Vance were rushed out of the ballroom of the Washington Hilton hotel as a man opened fire on security personnel nearby.

As many as 2,600 attendees dressed in tuxedos and ball gowns were at the event, with many taking cover under tables as panic spread. Two Indian journalists, who were present at the annual dinner, described the tense atmosphere at the venue following the shooting.

We take a look.

Chaos at White House correspondents' dinner

A man opened fire at the White House Correspondents' Association dinner in Washington, prompting Secret Service agents to evacuate Trump and the first lady. The couple were talking to American mentalist Oz Pearlman moments before the shooting, as per CNN.

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American Cabinet members, sitting around tables spread across the room, were escorted out by their security details after multiple shots were heard.

Visuals from the event show the US president and his wife were seated at a banquet table on stage when a commotion occurred at the rear of the hotel’s ballroom.

Speaking to CNN-News18, Saurabh Shukla, founder and Editor-in-Chief of NewsMobile, recalled the incident at the black-tie event that he was attending with his wife.

“I was sitting not far. Suddenly, I heard a gunshot, I turned back... I saw Secret Service jump, 2,000 people were there; we were taken out swiftly," Shukla said, underlining the immediate response from security personnel.

He highlighted that the incident took place close to a critical access point. “It is precisely from where we enter for dinner, where the shooter was caught, it could have gone in anyway, if we had entered for dinner," Shukla added, underlining the potential risk to those attending.

In a first-person account published on NewsMobile, a day after the shooting, Shukla recalled that everything had changed after the first course was served. “From a reporter’s instinct covering war zones and terror attacks, I knew this was not simply crockery crashing."

“As the commotion grew, given the uncertainty of the situation, my immediate response was to ensure my wife and I, along with those around us, were ducking for cover under the tables. In that moment, I realised nothing else matters in times of crisis except the people closest to you. I stayed silent, but my mind raced with doomsday scenarios. What if this were a coordinated attack? What if there were explosives?” Shukla wrote.

As his wife spoke to his children over the phone, the journalist said that the fear was real. “As I reflected on my thoughts and anxieties, I decided to focus on one of my biggest learnings through journalism: staying calm in the worst situation.”

After Shukla was evacuated, he decided to “stay in the moment and do my job.” He did a piece for the camera and also attended a press briefing where he asked Trump a question.

The editor wrote about his personal learnings from the night. “Last night was unsettling. While it was personal, it is also a reminder: Courage shows up in different ways: in those who protect. In those who reassure. But especially in those who stand back up and keep going.”

ANI reporter Reena Bhardwaj, who was also attending the White House Correspondents' Dinner, described how the incident unfolded.

"Just minutes ago, chaos erupted here in the ballroom at the Hilton in Washington. What I witnessed first-hand was a loud sound first. To my mind, it was probably clattering dishes. But within seconds, I saw the servers rushing in with their trays and trying to see a secure place to keep themselves safe. That's when I thought that something was not right. The entire table took cover under the table [sic],” she said in a video.

“When I knew that it was safe now to get up, what I witnessed was security agents on the stage with long guns... The POTUS [President of the United States] had been ushered out. One by one, all his Cabinet members, including Scott Bessent, Kash Patel, Pete Hegseth, [Steve] Witkoff, were all ushered out,” the journalist added.

Was Trump the target?

The suspect, who has been identified as Cole Tomas Allen, a 31-year-old man from California, is in police custody.

At least five to eight gunshots were fired during the incident, two law enforcement sources told CBS News.

Jeff Carroll, interim chief of the DC Metropolitan Police Department, said in a late-night news conference that the suspect was armed with a shotgun, handgun and multiple knives during the attack.

He attempted to charge a security checkpoint outside the dinner at the Washington Hilton Hotel before being stopped. A Secret Service agent was shot but saved by his bulletproof vest.

Earlier, Trump told reporters at the White House that he had spoken with the officer, “He has very high spirits, and we told him we love him and respect him. And he’s a very proud guy. He’s very proud of what he does.”

The US president also posted a photo to social media of the shirtless suspect on the floor of the hotel with his arms tied behind his back.

The alleged would-be assassin told law enforcement that he wanted to shoot Trump administration officials, CBS News reported, citing sources.

The suspect did not particularly say that Trump was his target, just "administration officials," as per a law enforcement source.

Allen, the suspect, studied engineering and is a graduate of the California Institute of Technology, or Caltech, reported CNN.

He worked for a tutoring firm in Torrance, two law enforcement sources told CBS News.

Allen was a guest at the Washington Hilton, and the police have “secured a room” to determine what is inside, Carroll said at the press conference.

The suspected gunman at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner “attempted to create a national tragedy,” US Secret Service Deputy Director Matthew Quinn said in a statement.

“He underestimated the protective capabilities of the U.S. Secret Service and was stopped at first contact,” he added. “The strength of our layered security was evident, with a myriad of countermeasures still ahead.”

With inputs from agencies