The catering staff at the Washington Hilton was just about to the main course — prime Chateaubriand and Maine lobster — when four loud, quick shots could be heard.
With Donald Trump making his first appearance as president, the White House Correspondents’ Dinner this year looked to be an unusual mix of comedy and controversy; instead became a surreal, disorienting moment, as authorities investigate an armed man suspected of trying to break through a security checkpoint.
Sitting at a table near the cavernous ballroom’s main entrance doors, I at first thought the noise heard around 8:35 p.m. ET was of a giant clash of dishes. But within a second or two someone could be heard shouting, “Get down!”
Most near us got to the ground, and my POV was of the sight of turned over chairs, some attendees crying in fear and Secret Service agents racing into the room. For a few moments, my thought was that the agents were searching for an active mass shooter, and yet I could still hear the din of conversation in other parts of the room. And then over the span of about ten seconds, that noise gave way to a tense silence, broken by the shouts of agents and a yell of “USA. USA.”
In about two minutes, attendees started to get back up again, and it was then that cameras came out. Those around me were in a daze. Some were still in tears, not knowing what happened. With a full view of the dais, I saw that it was empty.
As I approached the stage, some correspondents were recording video or live streaming. ABC News’ Jonathan Karl was standing on stage recording a vertical. CNN staffers were huddled with CEO Mark Thompson. “Craziness man,” said FCC Chairman Brendan Carr.
On TV, the moment looked surreal: The sea of attendees in ballgowns and tuxes, huddling under tables, also in the tense silence save for the shouts of Secret Service agents, rushing the president then members of the cabinet from the room.
Some attendees were in a daze, but most journalists seemed to be reporting the story out, not an easy task in a below ground space notorious for its iffy Wifi and cell service.
Other administration figures, like FBI Director Kash Patel, were whisked away to an exit in the back of the ballroom, and journalists hunted for any first-hand accounts. An officer with Watkins Security, a private firm, was surrounded by reporters as he gaggled about what he knew about what happened, which he warned was not a whole lot.
Word spread first that the suspect was dead, then that a suspect was taken into custody. Then an announcement was made that the evening would continue, then that it was being postponed.
After about an hour, CBS News’ Weijia Jiang, the White House Correspondents’ Association president, appeared on stage and gave a message from Trump. “He wanted to emphasize that no one was hurt. He and the first lady, the cabinet, everybody was safe,” she said, to applause.
“The president will be having a press briefing at the White House in 30 minutes. That is not a joke,” she said.
She said, “I said earlier tonight that journalism is a public service, because when there is an emergency, we run to the crisis, not away from it. And on a night when we are thinking about the freedoms of the First Amendment, we also must also think about how fragile they are. I saw all of you reporting, and that’s what we do.”
As guests made their exit up the escalators and to the main floor, many passed by Wolf Blitzer, an eyewitness to the shooting. He was on the phone, still reporting what he saw.