John Gizzi, Newsmax chief political columnist and White House correspondent, raised questions Sunday on Newsmax about how a gunman was able to bring a gun to the White House Correspondents' Association Dinner on Saturday night, an event Gizzi attended.
The shooting suspect was identified as Cole Thomas Allen, 31, of Torrance, California, two law enforcement officials told the AP. Officials told reporters after the incident that Allen was armed with a shotgun, a handgun, and multiple knives.
The suspect detained after the shooting at the correspondents' dinner is believed to have made it past the outermost layer of security at the event, where President Donald Trump was scheduled to speak, because he was a hotel guest, officials said Saturday.
"Everybody was enjoying their appetizers ... and then suddenly, we heard the shots, an estimated four shots going off," Gizzi said on "Wake Up America Weekend." "And immediately, everyone was told to get under the table."
"One lady who was sitting next to me said, 'I'm getting out of here.' And her husband says, 'No, do what they tell you,'" Gizzi added. "And we got under the table."
"It was easily an hour as people wandered around wondering just what happened," Gizzi continued.
He noted that presidents have been attending the White House Correspondents' Dinner since President Calvin Coolidge in 1924.
"This is a historic first, and we'll hear a lot about that in the days ahead, I'm sure," Gizzi said.
He said the shooting occurred outside the doors of the ballroom.
"For the rest of us to get into the ballroom, we had to show our ticket, go through a metal detector, and then finally, were admitted to the ballroom," Gizzi said. "Somehow this individual got through the line."
"It may have been that he actually had a copy of the invitation, which permitted him access," Gizzi added. "How he brought the gun in and was able to start firing is still a mystery at this point."
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Sam Barron ✉
Sam Barron has almost two decades of experience covering a wide range of topics including politics, crime and business.
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