A White House Correspondents’ Dinner volunteer said the suspected gunman appeared to assemble a “long” weapon in a lightly monitored area near the terrace-level entrance before opening fire and rushing toward the ballroom.
The witness, Helen Mabus, a volunteer working the event who said she is from Harrisburg, Pa., described a “makeshift room” near the entrance where bar carts were being stored and where “there was no security” at the time.
“He was in that room […] he grabbed it out of a bag or something,” Mabus said, adding that the weapon “was long” and “didn’t look like a typical gun.”
REUTERS Mabus said the suspect was partially out of view of security as he handled the weapon inside the room before suddenly moving toward the main event space.
“He put it together and […] ran towards the stairs to go down to the ballroom,” she said.
The gunman then began firing in multiple directions as guests and staff scrambled to escape.
“It just seem like he was shooting all over the place,” Mabus said, estimating she heard “at least 10 shots.”
She said the gunfire triggered immediate panic, with people “screaming and running” while Secret Service and other armed personnel rushed toward the danger.
Mabus said she fled in the opposite direction and did not see the suspect apprehended, adding that the chaos unfolded just steps from the path leading down to the ballroom where hundreds of high-profile guests had gathered.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
