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Washington Hilton Shooting Injures Agent; Trump Reschedules Dinner

4/30/2026

31 3 Full Breakdown

Summary

Story summary

Cole Tomas Allen opened fire in Washington Hilton lobby during the dinner, injuring a Secret Service agent.
He carried a shotgun, handgun and knives and faces counts, including attempted assassination of a president.
U.S. President Donald Trump praised the Secret Service response and said dinner will be rescheduled within 30 days.
John Hinckley Jr., who shot President Reagan in 1981, called the Washington Hilton “not a secure venue” after shooting.

History

Historical Context

The March 30 1981 shooting of President Ronald Reagan by John Hinckley Jr. at the Washington Hilton—where the Secret Service had inspected the venue over 100 times and the president’s Walk was built after JFK’s 1963 assassination—wounded press secretary James Brady and sparked the 1993 Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act. That legacy of security lapses frames today’s renewed calls for stronger venue protection.

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Story summary

Cole Tomas Allen opened fire in Washington Hilton lobby during the dinner, injuring a Secret Service agent.
He carried a shotgun, handgun and knives and faces counts, including attempted assassination of a president.
U.S. President Donald Trump praised the Secret Service response and said dinner will be rescheduled within 30 days.
John Hinckley Jr., who shot President Reagan in 1981, called the Washington Hilton “not a secure venue” after shooting.

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