Erika Kirk broke down in tears as she was led out of the White House Correspondents’ Dinner in Washington, D.C., on Saturday, shortly after shots rang out in the ballroom where the event was in full swing.
The widow of prominent conservative activist Charlie Kirk, who was shot and killed during a speech at a college campus in September last year, was seen by Newsweek being comforted by FBI director Kash Patel close to the exit as attendees were being evacuated.
Several Newsweek reporters and editors were attending the event as shots were fired at the Washington Hilton at around 8:35 p.m. ET. Guests quickly dived for cover and Secret Service agents evacuated President Donald Trump and other senior administration officials from the room.
Less than an hour later, Trump said the alleged gunman had been “apprehended.”
Multiple media outlets later named the suspect as 31-year-old Cole Tomas Allen. In separate social media posts, Trump shared CCTV footage appearing to show a man racing through a security checkpoint, followed by a photograph of a man in handcuffs face-down on a carpeted floor.
A clip filmed at the hotel appears to show Erika Kirk, who took over from her deceased husband as the chief executive of conservative non-profit, Turning Point USA, being escorted from the hotel.
“I just want to go home,” she can be heard saying.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
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