Correspondents’ dinner volunteer reveals gunman assembled ‘long weapon in unsecured room’

WASHINGTON, DC: After a few shots of gunfire were heard at the White House correspondents’ dinner, an event volunteer revealed that a gunman had assembled the long weapon in a room at the dinner venue itself.

Nearly 30 minutes after President Donald Trump, joined by first lady Melania Trump, arrived for the correspondents’ dinner,  gunshots were heard at the venue, prompting security service agents to escort the President and first lady, along with other VIPs, out of the event.

Gunman assembled the weapon in a room at event

A dinner volunteer revealed that the suspect gunman assembled his “long weapon” in a room situated in a lightly surveilled area near the terrace-level entrance before he opened fire and rushed towards the ballroom, New York Post reported.

The volunteer, identified as Helen Mabus from Harrisburg, Pa., said that bar carts were being stored in a “makeshift room” near the terrace area where security was not as tight as everywhere else.

Mabus explained that the “ weapon was long” and “didn’t look like a typical gun,” and said that the gunman “was in that room […] he grabbed it out of a bag or something.”

Suspect was out of security’s view

Further elaborating on how the gunman managed to avoid security’s monitoring, Mabus said that he handled the weapon inside the room before suddenly moving toward the main event space.

“He put it together and […] ran towards the stairs to go down to the ballroom,” she said.

As the gunman entered the ballroom, he started firing in all directions, prompting attendees to run for safety.

“It just seem like he was shooting all over the place,” Mabus said, estimating she heard “at least 10 shots.”

Explaining the chaos that erupted after the gunshots were fired, Mabus said everybody started screaming and running due to panic, while the Secret Service ran toward the gunman. Mabus added that she did not see the gunman being apprehended as she ran in the opposite direction.

Trump addresses press after shooting

President Donald Trump delivered a statement from the White House briefing room following the shooting incident.

“A man charged a security checkpoint armed with multiple weapons,” Trump said, praising Secret Service and law enforcement for acting “very quickly” to stop the suspect.

Trump confirmed the shooter was taken down and said one officer was shot at close range but saved by a bulletproof vest. “I just spoke to the officer… he’s in great shape,” Trump said.

Gunshots disrupt annual correspondents’ dinner event

The annual event hosted by White House Correspondents' Association at the Washington Hilton.

Video from the annual dinner showed a few rounds of  shots being fired in the lobby of the Washington Hilton, sending more than 2,000 guests, including journalists and Trump officials, into panic.

Donald Trump, Melania Trump, Vice President JD Vance, and Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt were among those quickly escorted out of the ballroom by Secret Service agents.