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White House dinner shooting suspect 'lone wolf, would-be assassin’, says Trump

US President Donald Trump on Saturday (local time) addressed reporters at the White House after he and other top leaders of the United States were evacuated from a White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner.

President Donald Trump speaks in the James Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House after an unspecified threat at the annual White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner in Washington. (AP)

In his address, Trump revealed that the shooter was armed with multiple weapons and “shot from very close distance.” Calling the incident “unexpected,” Trump said the shooting suspect was a ‘would-be assassin.’

Talking about the location, Trump said that it was not a “particularly secure building.” The man charged past a security checkpoint, Trump told a press briefing, adding: “One officer was shot but saved by the fact that he was wearing a, obviously, a very good bulletproof vest.”

Top points

Very unexpected: Trump began his address by saying that the incident was ‘very unexpected’, adding that the secret services and law enforcement agencies did an “incredible job.” Calling the dinner an event of “freedom of speech,” Trump asserted that it was meant to bring together members of both parties and the members of the press and “in a way it did.”

The shooter had multiple weapons: Trump said that the man charged at a security checkpoint and was “armed with multiple weapons.” The shooter was taken down by “some very brave members of the Secret Service,” Trump said.

The officer shot is in great shape now: US President also revealed that a Secret Service agent was also shot in the incident from “a very close distance,” but was saved since he was wearing a bulletproof vest. “I just spoke to the officer, and he is in great shape. He has very high spirits, and we told him we love him and respect him,” Trump told the press.

Not particularly secure building– Talking about the location of the event, Trump said that the authorities looked at the security conditions, calling it “not a particularly secure building.” Trump also compared it with the Ballroom at White House that his administration is pushing for, stating that the ballroom will be “much larger, drone-proof and with bulletproof glass. “That’s why secret service are demanding it,” he added.