Federal prosecutors on Thursday released video showing the moment an armed man tried to storm the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner and allegedly attempt to kill US President Donald Trump. The video was posted by US Attorney for Washington Jeanine Pirro, who said there is no evidence the shooting resulted from friendly fire.
Prosecutors had earlier said a Secret Service agent was struck in his bullet-resistant vest but had not confirmed whether the bullet came from the suspect’s gun. Secret Service Director Sean Curran said the agent was shot at “point-blank range” as the suspect ran through a security checkpoint and that the officer “heroically returned fire,” firing five times. Trump also denied the agent was hit by friendly fire. Reuters, citing a US law enforcement official, reported an investigation concluded the agent was not hit by friendly fire.
The nearly six-minute video shows about a dozen federal officers taking down metal detectors and standing near a security checkpoint when the suspect appears and sprints through holding a long gun. The footage shows the gunman emerge from a doorway and run toward agents; he appears to point his weapon at one agent while running, though it is not clear if he fired at that moment. Most officers did not notice him before he was nearly through; only one agent had his weapon drawn before the armed man passed. That agent appears to fire at least three times in the video, but authorities say the gunman was not shot during the attack.
The footage also shows the suspect casing a hallway at the Washington Hilton a day before the gala and briefly entering the hotel gym. DW correspondents reported hearing “six or seven very loud shots” in the corridor. Curran said there was only a 355-foot distance from the metal detectors to the podium where Trump was seated.
The 31-year-old suspect was tackled and detained in a chaotic scuffle with security guards, a struggle not visible in the released footage. He has been charged with attempted assassination of the US president and faces life in prison if convicted. At a court hearing on Thursday, he agreed to remain in custody while the case proceeds; his attorney, Tezira Abe, said he would not immediately contest prosecutors’ arguments that he is a danger to the community.
Edited by: Zac Crellin