{"id":2389879,"date":"2026-04-26T11:22:27","date_gmt":"2026-04-26T11:22:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/?p=2389879"},"modified":"2026-04-26T11:22:27","modified_gmt":"2026-04-26T11:22:27","slug":"distressed-erika-kirk-sobs-heartbreaking-5-words-as-she-flees-gunman-at-whcd","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/distressed-erika-kirk-sobs-heartbreaking-5-words-as-she-flees-gunman-at-whcd\/","title":{"rendered":"Distressed Erika Kirk sobs heartbreaking 5 words as she flees gunman at WHCD"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><\/p>\n<div id=\"article-body\">\n<h2 class=\"LeadText_lead-text__wd_PA __className_4f8be1\" data-testid=\"leadtext\">Turning Point USA CEO Erika Kirk was seen sobbing as she made a heartbreaking plea after a gunman opened fire at the White House Correspondents\u2019 Dinner just months after her husband was shot dead<\/h2>\n<p><button type=\"button\" class=\"SlideViewerButton_slide-viewer-button__BDJoG\" aria-label=\"Open image viewer\" aria-haspopup=\"dialog\" aria-controls=\"image-lightbox\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"ImageEmbed_image-embed__0T8WX ImageEmbed_image-lead__Ti3qQ\" data-testid=\"leadimage\" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-articleid=\"1808422\">\n<div class=\"ImageEmbed_image-container__2AIQm\">\n<figure class=\"Figure_figure__Uce4f\" style=\"--figure-aspect-ratio:1.5\"><\/figure>\n<\/div><figcaption class=\"ImageCaption_caption__j7HRu\" data-testid=\"image-caption\">\n<p aria-label=\" Erika Kirk sobs heartbreaking 5 words as she flees WHCD&#10;&#10;link:https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/sarasidnertv\/?utm_source=ig_embed\" class=\"ImageCaption_caption-title__ccyQU\" data-testid=\"caption-title\"> Erika Kirk sobs heartbreaking 5 words as she flees WHCD<\/p>\n<p>link:https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/sarasidnertv\/?utm_source=ig_embed<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<p><\/button><\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">Erika Kirk said five heartbreaking words as she was rushed out of the White House Correspondents\u2019 Dinner after a gunman opened fire at the event.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">The <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" aria-label=\"\" class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" href=\"https:\/\/www.themirror.com\/all-about\/erika-kirk\" rel=\"follow\" tabindex=\"0\" target=\"_self\">Turning Point USA CEO <\/a>was seen crying and visibly shaken as security officers ushered her out of the Washington Hilton Hotel where the dinner was held on Saturday, April 25. Erika, 37, was reportedly heard saying through her tears \u201cI just want to go home. I just want to go home,\u201d after the gunfire broke out.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">The shooting occurred little over six months on from her husband<a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" aria-label=\"\" class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" href=\"https:\/\/www.themirror.com\/all-about\/charlie-kirk\" rel=\"follow\" tabindex=\"0\" target=\"_self\"> Charlie Kirk<\/a> being shot dead while speaking at a public event at Utah Valley University on September 10 2025. Eyewitnesses at the Correspondents\u2019 Dinner also claimed that Robert F. Kennedy Jr. was seen being carried away by his security detail with one on either side of him <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" aria-label=\"\" class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" href=\"https:\/\/www.themirror.com\/news\/politics\/whcd-shooting-suspect-hotel-guest-1808196\" rel=\"follow\" tabindex=\"0\" target=\"_self\">holding his weight while his feet dragged on the floor.<\/a><\/p>\n<p><span data-testid=\"readmore\" class=\"ReadMore_readmore-prefix__xS44r __className_6edd97\">READ MORE<!-- -->: <span class=\"ReadMore_readmore-link__eF9pN\"><a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" data-tmdatatrack=\"read-more\" data-tmdatatrack-articleid=\"1808388\" data-tmdatatrack-source=\"editorial\" href=\"https:\/\/www.themirror.com\/news\/us-news\/kash-patel-shamelessly-showers-trump-1808388\" tabindex=\"0\">Kash Patel shamelessly showers Trump with praise as he clings on to FBI Director job amid rumors<\/a><\/span><\/span><span data-testid=\"readmore\" class=\"ReadMore_readmore-prefix__xS44r __className_6edd97\">READ MORE<!-- -->: <span class=\"ReadMore_readmore-link__eF9pN\"><a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" data-tmdatatrack=\"read-more\" data-tmdatatrack-articleid=\"1808196\" data-tmdatatrack-source=\"editorial\" href=\"https:\/\/www.themirror.com\/news\/politics\/whcd-shooting-suspect-hotel-guest-1808196\" tabindex=\"0\">WHCD shooting suspect was hotel guest and &#8216;had handgun, shotgun and knives&#8217;<\/a><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">According to <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" aria-label=\"\" class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2026\/04\/25\/us-news\/rattled-erika-kirk-rushed-out-of-white-house-correspondents-dinner-after-shooting\/\" rel=\"nofollow\" tabindex=\"0\" target=\"_self\">The celebrity.land<\/a>, the Health and Human Services Secretary was in attendance at the event with his wife Cheryl Hines who a witness said was disoriented and \u201cdelirious.&#8221; The shocking attack saw President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump, as well as Vice President JD Vance all evacuated in dramatic scenes.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">A string of other senior officials were also rushed to safety as panic ensued when the alleged shooter opened fire, rattling off multiple shots and storming a security checkpoint as he tried to rush towards the ballroom where the president and the guests at the soiree were seated.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">The suspect has been identified as Cole Tomas Allen, 31, a teacher and Caltech grad from Torrance, California. He was reportedly armed with a shotgun and multiple knives as he attempted to access the event.<\/p>\n<div data-testid=\"image-group\"><button type=\"button\" class=\"SlideViewerButton_slide-viewer-button__BDJoG\" aria-label=\"Open image viewer\" aria-haspopup=\"dialog\" aria-controls=\"image-lightbox\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"ImageEmbed_image-embed__0T8WX false\" data-testid=\"imageembed-1808421\" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-articleid=\"1808421\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"image\">\n<div class=\"ImageEmbed_image-container__2AIQm\">\n<figure class=\"Figure_figure__Uce4f\" style=\"--figure-aspect-ratio:1.5\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Erika Kirk\" loading=\"lazy\" sizes=\"(max-width: 458px) 458px, (max-width: 615px) 615px, 1200px\" src=\"https:\/\/i2-prod.themirror.com\/article1808421.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s1200e\/0_Screenshot-2026-04-26-103654.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i2-prod.themirror.com\/article1808421.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s458b\/0_Screenshot-2026-04-26-103654.jpg 458w, https:\/\/i2-prod.themirror.com\/article1808421.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s615b\/0_Screenshot-2026-04-26-103654.jpg 615w, https:\/\/i2-prod.themirror.com\/article1808421.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s1200e\/0_Screenshot-2026-04-26-103654.jpg 1200w\"\/><\/figure>\n<\/div><figcaption class=\"ImageCaption_caption__j7HRu\" data-testid=\"image-caption\">\n<p aria-label=\" Erika was visibly distressed as she was rushed away from the scene \" class=\"ImageCaption_caption-title__ccyQU\" data-testid=\"caption-title\"> Erika was visibly distressed as she was rushed away from the scene <\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<p><\/button><\/div>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">President Trump arrived at the gathering &#8211; which he has boycotted since 2011 until now &#8211; just 20 minutes before the gun fire was heard. Footage from inside the ballroom showed the president and first lady rapidly being flanked by arm guards on stage, as over 2000 guests on the main floor panicked and dove for cover under tables.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">The attendees included Washington journalists and top White House officials. The suspect did not make it into the ballroom and was taken down by Secret Service agents in the lobby before reaching the room.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">He did however shoot one Secret Service agent \u201cfrom a very close distance with a very powerful gun\u201d as the drama unfolded. The individual was taken to a local hospital for treatment but thanks to the bulletproof vest he was wearing survived the attack.<\/p>\n<div data-testid=\"image-group\"><button type=\"button\" class=\"SlideViewerButton_slide-viewer-button__BDJoG\" aria-label=\"Open image viewer\" aria-haspopup=\"dialog\" aria-controls=\"image-lightbox\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"ImageEmbed_image-embed__0T8WX false\" data-testid=\"imageembed-1808246\" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-articleid=\"1808246\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"image\">\n<div class=\"ImageEmbed_image-container__2AIQm\">\n<figure class=\"Figure_figure__Uce4f\" style=\"--figure-aspect-ratio:1.33\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Cole Tomas Allen being arrested\" loading=\"lazy\" sizes=\"(max-width: 458px) 458px, (max-width: 615px) 615px, 1200px\" src=\"https:\/\/i2-prod.themirror.com\/article1808246.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s1200e\/0_Screenshot-2026-04-26-at-072422JPG.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i2-prod.themirror.com\/article1808246.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s458b\/0_Screenshot-2026-04-26-at-072422JPG.jpg 458w, https:\/\/i2-prod.themirror.com\/article1808246.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s615b\/0_Screenshot-2026-04-26-at-072422JPG.jpg 615w, https:\/\/i2-prod.themirror.com\/article1808246.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s1200e\/0_Screenshot-2026-04-26-at-072422JPG.jpg 1200w\"\/><\/figure>\n<\/div><figcaption class=\"ImageCaption_caption__j7HRu\" data-testid=\"image-caption\">\n<p aria-label=\"Cole Tomas Allen was arrested at the scene\" class=\"ImageCaption_caption-title__ccyQU\" data-testid=\"caption-title\">Cole Tomas Allen was arrested at the scene<cite aria-label=\"Image: TRUTH SOCIAL\" class=\"ImageCaption_caption-credit__wlx1W\" data-testid=\"caption-credit\">(Image: TRUTH SOCIAL)<\/cite><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<p><\/button><\/div>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">Police believe that Allen had checked in as a guest at the hotel where the event honoring the Washington press corps is held each year in the days prior to it taking place. DC US Attorney Jeanine Pirro said the gunman will be arraigned in federal court on Monday, charged with assault on a federal law enforcement officer and two counts of using a gun to commit violence. More charges are also expected to be added.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\"><strong class=\"Strong_strong__e2x35\">Click <\/strong><a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" aria-label=\"\" class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" href=\"https:\/\/news.google.com\/publications\/CAAqBwgKMNaI0wswpaTqAw?ceid=GB%3Aen&amp;oc=3\" rel=\"nofollow\" tabindex=\"0\" target=\"\"><strong class=\"Strong_strong__e2x35\">here<\/strong><\/a><strong class=\"Strong_strong__e2x35\"> to follow the Mirror US on Google News to stay up to date with all the latest news, sport and entertainment stories.<\/strong><\/p>\n<aside class=\"Factbox_factbox-container__hSMOa\" id=\"factbox\" tabindex=\"0\" aria-label=\"Entering Factbox content\" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-articleid=\"747106\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"factbox\" data-testid=\"factbox\">\n<h3 class=\"HeadingThree_heading-three__PBHLs Factbox_heading-three__NXU52 __className_90e308\">Sign up to our FREE newsletter and get the top stories to your inbox<\/h3>\n<div class=\"Factbox_content__xdMV8\">\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\"><strong class=\"Strong_strong__e2x35\">DAILY NEWSLETTER: <\/strong><a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" aria-label=\"\" class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" href=\"https:\/\/www.themirror.com\/newsletter-preference-centre\/?view=Solus&amp;mailingListId=ab05ec34-5eed-44b8-861e-5fa7078535c3&amp;utm_source=solusarticle\" rel=\"follow\" tabindex=\"0\" target=\"_self\">Sign up here<\/a> to get the latest news and updates from the Mirror US straight to your inbox with our FREE newsletter.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/aside>\n<\/div>\n<p><script async src=\"\/\/www.instagram.com\/embed.js\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p><em> \u2018 The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n<p><em> \u2018 Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.themirror.com \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Turning Point USA CEO Erika Kirk was seen sobbing as she made a heartbreaking plea after a gunman opened fire at the White House Correspondents\u2019 Dinner just months after her husband was shot dead Erika Kirk sobs heartbreaking 5 words as she flees WHCD link:https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/sarasidnertv\/?utm_source=ig_embed Erika Kirk said five heartbreaking words as she was rushed [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2389880,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":[],"jnews_primary_category":[],"jnews_social_meta":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[25177],"tags":[371166],"class_list":["post-2389879","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-celebrities","tag-erika-kirk"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Distressed-Erika-Kirk-sobs-heartbreaking-5-words-as-she-flees.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2389879","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2389879"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2389879\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2389881,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2389879\/revisions\/2389881"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2389880"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2389879"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2389879"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2389879"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}