Washington Hilton Ronald Reagan shooting led to secure room used in Trump evacuation
Topics: US News, Donald Trump, Politics, Crime, Gun Crime
Mia Williams
Featured Image Credit: Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for OP
Topics: US News, Donald Trump, Politics, Crime, Gun Crime
The president was rushed to safety in a room purposely designed after the 1981 shooting of Ronald Reagan at a Hilton hotel, after a suspected shooter attacked the White House Correspondents' Dinner at the same venue last night (April 25).
The suspect has been identified as a 31-year-old guest staying at the Washington Hilton hotel, named Cole Tomas Allen, from Torrance, California, as per BBC.
Federal officers are now investigating the suspect's home, and he is expected to be formally charged in court tomorrow (April 27).
Chaos descended upon the annual dinner, held for members of the press and the presidential administration, as shots rang out as the gunman ran past security, allegedly carrying a shotgun, a handgun, and multiple knives.
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Several secret service agents ran to the stage armed with weapons, as over 2,000 attendees were seen fearfully ducking under their circular dinner tables.
Trump and First Lady Melania were seated at the front of the room talking to other guests when the loud bangs echoed across the ballroom.
The dinner, which was canceled and re-scheduled following the brutal attack, has taken place at the Hilton hotel for many years, and typically remains open to guests, with security concentrated primarily on the event space itself rather than the hotel as a whole.
But it's not the first time a president has been at the hotel during an attack.
President Ronald Reagan was shot by John Hinckley Jr. outside the very same venue in 1981, prompting a redesign of the building that included a secure presidential suite near the entrance.
And it was to this very room that Trump was briefly escorted when gunfire rang out following the incident on Saturday night.
President Trump was quick to break his silence after being safely escorted back to the White House for a briefing.
The Republican leader announced that one secret service agent was shot at very close range, but was saved by a bullet-proof vest.
"Why do you think this keeps happening to you?," one reporter asked the 79-year-old.
He responded: "I’ve studied assassinations and I must tell you, the most impactful people - the people that do the most... the people that make the biggest impact, those are the ones they go after.
"They don’t go after the ones that don’t do much because they like it that way. When you look at the people... whether it was an attempt or successful attempt, they’re very impactful people... They’re big names."
Adding a questionable remark, he then continued: "I hate to say I’m honored by that but I’ve done a lot.
"We’ve taken this country and we were a laughing stock for years, now we’re the hottest country anywhere in the world. We've changed this country and there’s a lot of people that are not happy about that."
Jeffery Carroll, the Interim Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department, has stated that suspect's motive remains unknown, but added that the fact shots were fired does not mean this was a security failure for the FBI.