INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — An Indiana lawmaker who was at the White House Correspondents’ dinner on Saturday when gunfire erupted is sharing his experience.
Congressman Marlin Stutzman, a Republican who represents Indiana’s 3rd Congressional District, joined WRTV on Monday to talk about what happened.
Stutzman says President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump had just been seated when shots rang out.
“I was talking to the lady seated on my left. We were sitting close to the aisle, towards the back of the room, and I just remember these four loud gunshots. I knew immediately that those were gunshots. We all just hit the deck, and we got down below the table. I made sure that the people, the ladies that were there beside me, were under the table and everybody was low.”
Stutzman says security for his friend, U.S. Rep. Abe Hamadeh (R-AZ), helped get him and others out of the area.
“He had a security detail there and was able to connect with him outside of the room, and he guided us to be able to get out safely.”
The California man arrested for the shooting, 31-year-old Cole Allen, is due to make his first court appearance on Monday.
“As we learn more about this sick person who tried to storm the ballroom the other night, I think we’re going to probably find…that they live in this dark space in their own lives, and they start to take it out into the real world and go after high-profile individuals to try to make a difference,” Stutzman said.
Stutzman also voiced concerns about security at the hotel hosting the event.
“We just walked in and showed our little cardboard invitation. I even heard from some ladies that their purses weren’t even inspected, and so I’m a little bothered by how the overall security of the hotel was.”
Click on the video above to see the entire interview.
