The shooting incident that occurred on Saturday evening, 25 April, at the Hilton hotel in the US caused a major stir. At that time, the traditional evening event of the White House Correspondents' Association was being held in the building, with senior officials in attendance.
According to initial reports, an armed individual broke through a security checkpoint and opened fire on staff. Surveillance footage shows him moving quickly through the control area and momentarily throwing security personnel into confusion.
FBI representatives said the attacker shot a Secret Service agent. Fortunately, the officer was protected by a bulletproof vest, and his condition is reported as stable.
As soon as the gunshots rang out, the event was immediately halted. The roughly 2,600 participants in the hall sought shelter, each finding a safe place. Security forces had high-ranking officials, including Marco Rubio, Robert F. Kennedy, and Doug Burgum, lie on the floor and took them under protection.
At the same time, Donald Trump and his wife were promptly evacuated by Secret Service personnel. According to sources, Trump remained backstage for some time and tried to control the situation.
Suspect detained / Photo: Reuters
The attacker was quickly apprehended. Officials assume he acted alone. Later, Donald Trump addressed journalists and announced that the attack had been neutralized and all officials were safe.
"One person, armed with multiple weapons, broke into the security checkpoint, and he was neutralized by some very brave members of the Secret Service," Trump said at a press conference held in the White House after the incident.
"You know, he came in from about 45 meters away, so he was quite far from the hall. He was moving. He was really moving very fast," Trump said after the gala dinner was cancelled.
Currently, investigative actions concerning the incident are ongoing. It is also said that a plan to reorganize the cancelled event is under consideration.
In short, this incident once again showed how important the security system is. A few seconds of attack could have turned into a major tragedy, but thanks to swift action, the situation was brought under control.
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