CNN journalist Wolf Blitzer recounts “terrifying” experience he had at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner

“The first thing that crossed my mind was whether he was going to shoot me”, confesses the center to CNN Internacional

CNN’s Wolf Blitzer was just feet away from a gunman when shots rang out outside the main ballroom of the White House Correspondents’ Dinner.

Blitzer had just emerged from the men’s room, on an upper floor outside the ballroom of the Washington Hilton, when he saw a man with “a very, very serious weapon.”

“Suddenly, I heard some very loud, very loud and very scary shots right next to me. The next thing I knew, a police officer threw me to the ground and was on top of me”, says Blitzer.

Officers took him back to the men’s bathroom, where about 15 other men were also taking shelter. The veteran CNN anchor said the shooter was “just a few feet away” from the suspect when the shooting began.

“When I heard the gunshots, I had no idea who the shooter was targeting, or if he was just trying to scare everyone,” says Blitzer.

“And, of course, the first thing that crossed my mind was whether he was going to shoot me.” “It was a terrible, very scary moment for me,” adds Blitzer.

One person is in custody after a shooting near the screening area at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, according to the U.S. Secret Service.

“I saw the shooter on the ground after he started shooting. The officers threw him to the ground, but he kept shooting. And I could hear the gunshots,” says Blitzer, adding that there were plenty of police on the scene to quickly secure him.

The shooting occurred outside the ballroom on an upper floor near the lobby security checkpoint area where the restrooms are located.

A Secret Service agent was shot in the incident, three sources confirmed to CNN. The bullet hit the officer’s protective equipment and he was taken to a local hospital.

President Donald Trump and members of his cabinet, including Vice President JD Vance, were present at the event taking place in the ballroom at the time and were quickly escorted off the stage and out of the venue.

“A great night in DC. Secret Service and law enforcement did a fantastic job. They acted quickly and courageously. The shooter was apprehended,” Trump wrote in Truth Social.

Although he initially said he hoped the event would go ahead, Trump returned to the White House at the request of officials.

Trump said the White House Correspondents’ Dinner will be rescheduled.