CNN’s Wolf Blitzer was seen visibly shaken in harrowing footage taken just moments after he narrowly escaped gunfire at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner.
Blitzer, 78, was just ‘a few feet away’ from the gunman when he heard around six shots fired at the Washington Hilton on Saturday night.
He was on his way out of the upper men’s restroom when he came face to face with suspected shooter Cole Tomas Allen, 31.
‘Next thing I knew a couple of police officers were jumping on me trying to protect me. I think then the gunman was shot, I could be wrong, but he stopped firing,’ Blitzer told CNN. ‘It was a terrible, very frightening moment for me.’
As President Trump and First Lady Melania Trump were evacuated from the nearby ballroom, Blitzer was bundled back into the bathroom by the officers, appearing to lose a shoe in the process.
Eyewitness Jack Fattall who was also in the area when the chaos erupted captured the panic in the moments immediately after on video.
‘He was being shot at,’ Fattall told the Daily Mail. ‘The shooter was shooting in his direction, so he had to duck on the floor before running into the bathroom.’
Within seconds, he said the gunshots began ringing out and Blitzer was in the direct line of fire.
CNN’s Wolf Blitzer was left visibly shaken and missing a shoe after narrowly escaping gunfire at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner
President Trump and First Lady Melania Trump were rushed off stage after around six shots were fired at the Washington Hilton hotel on Saturday
Blitzer was just ‘a few feet away’ from the gunman when he opened fire at around 8.15pm
Blitzer is seen in the footage with one shoe on after he lost it rushing back to a bathroom after hearing gunshots
The veteran anchor recalled having ‘no idea’ what was going on, what he was hearing, who the shooter was targeting, or whether it was simply someone trying to scare people at Washington DC’s biggest event.
‘Of course, the first thing that went through my mind was whether he was going to shoot me,’ Blitzer told CNN.
‘I did see the gunman on the ground after he started shooting,’ he added. ‘Police officers threw him to the ground but he was still shooting. And I could hear the shots going off.’
Footage shared by Fattall showed Blitzer taking a few tentative steps forward with just one shoe on and the other foot covered only by a black sock.
He appeared to be in shock, standing motionless with irregular breathing, and gave vague, uncertain responses when asked what had happened, saying he ‘just heard a bunch of shots right near me.’
Fattall, also seen in the video, said officers took Blitzer back into the restroom, where about 15 other men were seen sheltering with the door blocked by a Secret Service agent.
‘Secret Service basically held the door, kept us in and started pointing the gun at least in the direction of the shooter,’ Fattall said.
‘At some point, the shooter went down, but they still kept us in the bathroom for about 25 minutes until they kicked us out of the event,’ he added.
Jack Fattall, an eyewitness, told the Daily Mail that Blitzer was ‘being shot at’ and that shooter was ‘running in his direction’
The suspect has been identified as Cole Tomas Allen, 31, an educator from the Los Angeles area
Photos taken moments after Allen was pinned by agents show officers restraining him as others moved in to secure the area
Fattall’s video showed the bathroom door being blocked by a Secret Service agent
Trump was rushed from the stage after gunfire broke out at the hotel hosting the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, where the president – attending for the first time since 2015 – was set to be honored and deliver a speech.
Erika Kirk was also among the first to be evacuated and was later seen in a flood of tears as she was escorted out by what appeared to be two Secret Service agents.
Cabinet members were lifted over a barricade and rushed to safety, while a Secret Service agent wearing a protective vest was confirmed shot. The agent was taken to hospital, with their condition unknown.
Police revealed Allen had a number of weapons on him, including a shotgun, handgun and multiple knives. He was charged with firearms and assault charges.
Video footage showed the suspect, heavily blurred, running as he attempted to reach the ballroom doors just seconds before firing. It is believed he may have been a guest at the hotel.
In a Truth Social post, Trump announced that the suspect had been apprehended.
The president also shared an image shortly afterward showing the suspect shirtless and lying face down on the ground, describing him as ‘a very sick person’ during a press conference.
‘He’s a lone wolf, a whack job. These are crazy people. Sick, sick people,’ he said.
