Gunfire erupted at the Washington Hilton, abruptly interrupting the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner. Authorities say a man armed with two firearms and knives breached a Secret Service checkpoint outside the ballroom but was stopped and taken into custody before reaching the stage where President Trump and about 2,600 guests were gathered. A Secret Service officer was struck by a round but was protected by a ballistic vest. The timeline below is compiled from officials and eyewitnesses. Times are Eastern Daylight Time.
8:34:29 PM — Security checkpoint breached
A person ran through a Secret Service metal detector at full speed, passing stunned officers and sprinting past the checkpoint. He was chased and quickly apprehended. The checkpoint is located above the 30,000-square-foot ballroom and is separated from it by a staircase. Security-camera footage of the breach was later shared by President Trump on Truth Social.
8:34:33 PM — Gunfire heard in the ballroom
A rapid sequence of shots rang out in the ballroom. On the dais where the president sat the noise was muffled or not clearly audible; farther back, guests heard the shots and smelled gunpowder. Mentalist Oz Pearlman was performing at the head table for President Trump, First Lady Melania Trump, press secretary Karoline Leavitt and White House Correspondents’ Association President Weijia Jiang. It took more than 20 seconds for agents to remove the president from the stage.
Around 8:34:35 PM — Guests take cover
People in raised seating at the back of the room crouched or dropped under tables; some recorded video on their phones as they sought cover.
Around 8:34:40 PM — Security moves in
Security officers rushed up the center aisle, climbing over chairs and spreading out to protect principals. Cabinet members and members of Congress were seen sheltering under tables.
8:34:45 PM — Presidential evacuation
Secret Service agents ran onto the stage. Vice President Vance was grabbed and escorted offstage within seconds. An agent shielded President Trump; after a brief maneuver in which Trump and the first lady were lowered and covered by agents, they were escorted from the stage. The president left the stage roughly 20 seconds after the vice president.
8:35:30 PM — Stephen Miller shields his wife
White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller used his body to protect his pregnant wife, Katie Miller, as federal agents moved down the main aisle. Agents reached them and escorted the couple out through a stage-side exit.
8:35:47 PM — Security sweeps continue
Law enforcement with weapons drawn secured a rear stairwell and called into a set of swinging doors, clearing a nervous kitchen staff who stood with raised hands.
8:36:20 PM — Security for Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
The security detail for Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. rushed to his table near the dais; an agent covered Kennedy and escorted him and his wife, Cheryl Hines, toward an exit.
8:37 PM — Dignitaries escorted out
Security details began moving many administration officials and other dignitaries from the ballroom. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche and others were escorted out as attendees remained under tables. House Majority Leader Steve Scalise was hurried away by a Capitol Police detail.
9:17 PM — President posts on Truth Social
President Trump posted that the shooter had been apprehended and that he had recommended letting the show go on, but that he would be guided entirely by law enforcement. He said the evening would be different than planned and suggested rescheduling.
9:39:12 PM — Dinner canceled
Weijia Jiang returned to the podium to announce that the dinner would not continue as scheduled and that the president insisted on rescheduling within 30 days. She reminded attendees that journalism is a public service and said that in emergencies journalists run toward the crisis rather than away, noting the fragility of First Amendment freedoms.
Authorities said the suspect was taken into custody. Investigations were underway and additional details, including motive and potential charges, were still being developed.