‘Put it together and run to ballroom’: Volunteer recalls WH gunman assembling ‘long weapon’ in ‘makeshift room’
Cole Allen identified as suspect in White House Correspondents’ Dinner shooting (ANI)
A White House Correspondents’ Dinner volunteer said the suspected gunman was able to assemble a “long weapon” in an unsecured, lightly monitored area near the patio entrance before the attack occurred near the ballroom.Witness Helen Mabus, a volunteer at the event, described a “makeshift room” near the entrance where bar carts were stored and “no security” at the time.
“He’s in that room […] The New York Post quoted Mabus as saying he grabbed it from a bag or something, adding that the weapon was “very long” and “didn’t look like a typical gun.”Mabus said the suspect handled the weapon in the room, where some security measures were out of sight, before walking to the main event. “He put it together and then […] Run to the stairs and go down to the ballroom,” she said.The gunman then began shooting in multiple directions as guests and staff tried to escape.“He seemed to be shooting everywhere,” said Mabus, who estimated she heard “at least 10 gunshots.”She said the gunshots caused immediate panic and people “screamed and ran” as armed officers responded. Mabus said she ran in the opposite direction and did not see the suspect being arrested.The gunman, Cole Allen, of Torrance, California, was arrested after he allegedly entered the Washington Hilton Hotel and walked toward a ballroom where President Trump and about 2,500 guests had gathered.Trump said he could be a “lone wolf killer” who “seems very evil.”The shooting occurred near the indoor security area around 8:30 p.m. while guests were enjoying salads. The Secret Service evacuated Trump from the room while members of his cabinet hid under tables before being evacuated.A law enforcement officer was shot when a bullet struck his bulletproof vest. “He was armed with a shotgun, a handgun and multiple knives when he stormed the checkpoint,” said Washington, D.C. Police Chief Jeffrey Carroll.“He was really a lone actor, a lone gunman, from that point of view,” Carroll said. “There does not appear to be any danger to the public.”Allen is charged with use of a firearm in the commission of a violent crime and assault on a federal officer, Jeanine Pirro, the U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia, said Saturday.Dramatic video posted by Trump on social media showed Allen firing the gun and sprinting toward the ballroom.A LinkedIn profile matching his name and photo said he was a teacher at C2 Education, a tutoring and test preparation company. The company named him Teacher of the Month in December 2024, according to social media posts.
