How Washington’s biggest annual dinner transformed into chaos — and a crime scene | CNN Politics

President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump were seated on the stage of the cavernous Washington Hilton ballroom just after 8:30 p.m. ET Saturday evening, playfully engaging with the evening’s entertainer, mentalist Oz Pearlman. Just outside, a man sprinted through a security checkpoint with a shotgun in hand, exchanging fire with Secret Service agents who chased behind him, according to security footage released of the incident. Within seconds, the gunman was subdued by Secret Service — before he could reach the ballroom where the president, Trump administration officials, members of Congress and some of the nation’s most prominent reporters and editors were all in attendance for the annual White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner. Inside the jammed ballroom, guests had taken their seats and were picking away at burrata and cucumber salads when it became clear the evening had taken a frightening turn. Cracking sounds in quick succession from outside the ballroom doors caused the loud hum of conversation to quickly turn silent. It wasn’t obvious to those inside the room — situated a level below where the incident occurred — what the sounds were. Even the