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Teacher Opens Fire at White House Dinner; Agent Wounded

4/26/2026

46 5 Full Breakdown

Summary

Story summary

31-year-old teacher Cole Allen opened fire in the ballroom and was seized in the lobby with a shotgun, handgun and knives.
A Secret Service agent, who was hit at range but survived, and Vice President JD Vance, cabinet members and attendees were evacuated.
First Lady Melania Trump called the gunfire a “bad noise,” and President Donald Trump praised the Secret Service and announced dinner will be rescheduled within 30 days.

History

Historical Context

On March 30 1981, John Hinckley Jr. fired six shots at President Ronald Reagan outside the Washington Hilton, wounding the president and three others. The incident occurred in a venue whose “President’s Walk” was added after JFK’s 1963 assassination and had been inspected over 100 times since the early 1970s. The attack spurred the Secret Service to tighten protective protocols nationwide.

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Story summary

31-year-old teacher Cole Allen opened fire in the ballroom and was seized in the lobby with a shotgun, handgun and knives.
A Secret Service agent, who was hit at range but survived, and Vice President JD Vance, cabinet members and attendees were evacuated.
First Lady Melania Trump called the gunfire a “bad noise,” and President Donald Trump praised the Secret Service and announced dinner will be rescheduled within 30 days.

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