WASHINGTON, D.C. — A gunman opened fire outside the ballroom at the White House Correspondents' Dinner at the Washington Hilton on Saturday night, sending guests diving for cover and prompting the evacuation of President Donald Trump and other senior officials. Erika Kirk, the 37-year-old chief executive of Turning Point USA and widow of Charlie Kirk, was rushed out of the event visibly shaken and in tears, according to an eyewitness.

"I just want to go home. I just want to go home," Kirk said as she was escorted from the venue, the eyewitness said.

The gunfire erupted about 20 minutes after Trump arrived at the annual gala, which is held each year at the Washington Hilton. More than 2,000 guests, including Washington journalists and White House officials, dove under tables for cover when the shooting broke out. Trump, first lady Melania Trump and senior officials were evacuated from the dinner.

The suspected shooter, identified as Cole Tomas Allen, 31, fired multiple shots while storming a security checkpoint and rushing toward the ballroom with a shotgun and multiple knives. Secret Service agents took him down in the lobby. Allen, a teacher and a Caltech graduate from Torrance, California, was believed by police to have been a guest at the Washington Hilton. Authorities have not formally identified the suspect.

A Secret Service agent was shot at close range but survived because of his bulletproof vest and was being treated at a local hospital, according to officials. The suspect was charged with assaulting a federal law enforcement officer and two counts of using a gun to commit violence, DC U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro said. Pirro said the suspect would be arraigned Monday in federal court, with more charges expected.

Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who attended the gala with his wife, actress Cheryl Hines, was carried out of the ballroom by his security detail with one person on each side supporting his weight and his feet dragging along the floor, according to an eyewitness, who said Kennedy appeared disoriented and "delirious" after the shooting.