White House Correspondents' Dinner Shooting Suspect to Be Charged Today
Good morning, and welcome to our live coverage. The suspected gunman involved in the shooting at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner on Saturday evening, identified as a man from Torrance, California, is scheduled to appear in court later today.
He is expected to be formally charged with using a firearm during a violent crime and assault on a federal officer with a dangerous weapon.
“There’s a lot of federal charges that could be in play beyond those two charges but it depends on us understanding his motive, his intent, his premeditation of what led into him deciding he was going to do what he did last night,” acting US attorney general Todd Blanche told CBS News’ Face the Nation programme.
Preliminary findings indicate that the shooter targeted the US president and officials within his administration, according to Blanche. The suspect is expected to appear before a federal judge in Washington, D.C., on Monday.
The investigation includes examination of the suspect’s writings, reportedly found in his hotel room. An alleged manifesto surfaced earlier, in which the suspect referred to himself as a “Friendly Federal Assassin” and listed targets for the shooting, ranked from highest to lowest priority, with officials at the top of the list.
King Charles’ US Visit to Proceed Despite Security Concerns
Despite the security concerns raised by the shooting, Buckingham Palace issued a statement yesterday evening confirming that King Charles and the royal party will proceed with their planned visit to the US on Monday.
It is understood that there will be minor adjustments to one or two royal engagements during the trip; however, the overall itinerary remains unchanged, as noted by correspondent Robyn Vinter.
The king is scheduled to visit Virginia, New York, and Washington, D.C., during the four-day trip, which commemorates the 250th anniversary of US independence. During the visit, he will meet privately with President Trump and participate in a state banquet held in honor of him and the royal party.
