Erika Kirk sobbed ‘I just want to go home’ as she was rushed to safety after a gunman opened fire at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner.
The widow of Charlie Kirk was among the first to be evacuated from the Washington Hilton on Saturday night, not long after President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump were bundled out.
The head of Turning Point USA was seen in floods of tears as she was escorted out flanked by what appeared to be two Secret Service agents.
In a post shared to X, Turning Point Action sponsor Derek Myers wrote: ‘Erika is okay but very upset. She was crying.’
It comes just seven months after her husband’s violent death at the hands of an assassin’s bullet at Utah Valley University.
The events bear haunting echoes of the fateful day in September last year, although no fatalities have been reported out of DC.
A source told the Daily Mail that Cole Tomas Allen, 31, an educator from the Los Angeles area, is the alleged shooter who opened fire after breaching a security checkpoint.
In a post on Truth Social, President Trump confirmed that a Secret Service agent wearing a protective vest was shot and that the suspect had been apprehended.
Erika Kirk sobbed as she was evacuated from the White House Correspondents’ Dinner shooting
The widow was heard wailing ‘I just want to go home’ as she was escorted out
Donald Trump is escorted out as a shooter opens fire during the annual White House Correspondents’ Association dinner in Washington
President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump were rushed off stage, while many guests remained in the ballroom
Trump also shared a stunning image shortly afterward showing the suspect shirtless and lying face down on the ground, describing him as a ‘sick person – a very sick person’ during a press conference.
‘He’s a lone wolf, a wack job. These are crazy people. Sick, sick people,’ he said.
The president was attending the event for the first time since 2011 and was set to be honored and give a speech.
Washington DC’s biggest night of the year was plunged into chaos after around six shots rang out in the lobby of the Washington Hilton at around 8.15pm.
Thousands of guests were left scrambling for cover after Secret Service agents stormed the ballroom.
One agent was shot but was wearing a protective vest. They were rushed to the hospital and remain in unknown condition.
As guests ducked under tables by the hundreds, Secret Service agents and other authorities swarmed the banquet hall, with one person heard shouting, ‘Out of the way, sir.’
Cabinet members were lifted in the air over a barricade and dragged to safety.
In a statement to the Daily Mail, a White House spokesperson said: ‘The US Secret Service, in coordination with the Metropolitan Police Department, is investigating a shooting incident near the main magnetometer screening area at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner.’
‘One individual is in custody. The condition of those involved is not yet known, and law enforcement is actively assessing the situation,’ the statement added.
The president took to social media to share an update immediately after he was made safe.
‘Quite an evening in DC Secret Service and Law Enforcement did a fantastic job. They acted quickly and bravely,’ the president wrote to Truth Social.
Kirk was rushed out flanked by what appeared to be Secret Service agents
Security officials evacuate U.S. Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and his wife, Cheryl Hines, as a shooter opens fire
Law enforcement respond during an incident at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner
‘The shooter has been apprehended, and I have recommended that we “LET THE SHOW GO ON” but, will entirely be guided by Law Enforcement. They will make a decision shortly,’ he added.
‘Regardless of that decision, the evening will be much different than planned, and we’ll just, plain, have to do it again.’
However, the presidential couple has since departed the event with Trump expected to five a press briefing at the White House later on Saturday night.
