Just before dawn, a handful of FBI agents departed the Washington Hilton where journalists and administration officials had gathered for an annual tradition that began with apprehension and ended in shock and fear. A few hours after a gunman was apprehended, the entrance appeared to be reopened, so we decided to try and scope out the place we had fled the night before.

To our surprise, we found the scene of the crime easy to access. 

We strolled past the bright blue White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner backdrop and red carpet, where less than 12 hours earlier we had interviewed a handful of top administration officials who came for the first dinner of Donald Trump’s presidency, mingling with each other and with the journalists whom the president has labeled “enemy of the people” while challenging their press freedoms.

Trump said the Hilton was “not particularly secure” during his press conference Saturday night. Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said Sunday morning that the alleged gunman “didn’t really get past the perimeter.” Secret Service agents tackled him to the ground near a security checkpoint before he was able to reach the ballroom, where a few thousand well-connected people assembled — ostensibly to celebrate the First Amendment.

We captured on video Sunday what we saw just steps away from the staircase leading to the concourse level where the glitterati blended the night before.

We walked through an opening in a makeshift security barrier leading to the now-infamous doors where law enforcement officers had raced through, rifles and pistols drawn, after shots erupted. 

When we came upon the landing of the stairs that descend to the ballroom, we found a site that felt almost post-apocalyptic — a place where many froze in fear, now frozen in time — and, initially, no authorities protesting our presence.

Strewn about the floor were rubber gloves and wrappers from an emergency first aid brand, suggesting medical attention had been needed. Surveillance footage captured the suspect, identified as 31-year-old Cole Tomas Allen, charging into this exact area. The suspect carried multiple weapons, including a shotgun, in an incident that left one officer shot and wounded, his bullet-resistent vest saving him from more serious harm.

On the wall one floor above the ballroom entrance, bullet holes and square cutouts, likely removed for ballistics testing, provided a glimpse of where the gunfire landed. 

FBI Director Kash Patel said the agency is examining a long gun and shell casings recovered from the scene.

Trump shared security footage on Truth Social moments before his Saturday night press conference showing the suspect sprinting past that security checkpoint, before officers tackled him to the ground at the top of the staircase that led to the dinner. 

After several minutes of exploring, a hotel manager came by and told us we were not allowed to be in the area where the shooting occurred and asked us to leave. Soon after, hours after federal agents had left, signage appeared indicating the area was restricted. 

Seeing the remnants left behind by investigators — and retracing our steps to the scene of an event that was supposed to be a celebration of our democracy, of our freedom, underscored a tenuous reality. It was a scary night for us all, and one that could have been even more terrifying.

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