David Smith inside the White House press dinner shooting
4/27/202625 min
When gunshots were heard from inside the White House Correspondents’ Dinner on Saturday night, attendees weren’t sure what was happening or if they were in danger. It soon emerged that suspected gunman Cole Tomas Allen, 31 of Torrance, California had been arrested by security officials. Allen was armed with knives, a shotgun and a handgun at the time of arrest. Sitting at his table inside the lavish room as the events unfolded was the Guardian’s Washington DC bureau chief David Smith. He spoke to Nour Haydar about what is known about the alleged gunman’s motivations, the panic inside the room when the shots were fired and what questions are being asked about the event’s security protocols.
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First 90 secondsNoor Haidar· Host0:00
[instrumental music] This is The Guardian. I'm Noor Haidar coming to you from Gadigal land, and this is The Full Story.
Speaker 1· Soundbite0:12
[instrumental music] I was in the room not far from you- Yeah ... Mr. President, could hear what sounded like gunshots or commotion.
Donald Trump· Soundbite0:24
Right.
Speaker 1· Soundbite0:25
People nearby could smell the gunpowder. Um, everybody hit the floor. How worried were you that there were gonna be injuries?
Noor Haidar· Host0:33
It was around 8:30 PM in Washington, DC when the annual White House Correspondents' Dinner was interrupted by gunfire.
Donald Trump· Soundbite0:43
I wasn't worried. I understand life. We live in a crazy world.
Noor Haidar· Host0:51
Inside the Hilton Hotel, as journalists dined with the president and his team, the alleged shooter, a 31-year-old man named Conrad Thomas Allen, attempted to sprint through a security checkpoint. Authorities say he was armed with multiple guns and knives and had checked into the hotel a few days earlier as a guest. Investigators are still working to determine a motive, but a manifesto reportedly written by the suspect has been found.
Speaker 1· Soundbite1:27
In it, he writes this quote,