WASHINGTON, D.C. — A college student from Ohio was in attendance at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner when the shooting happened on Saturday.
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Toledo native Ben Bascuk is a junior at Syracuse University, studying broadcast and digital journalism. He told our news partners at WCPO that he’s spending a semester in Washington, D.C.
He earned a scholarship from the White House Correspondents’ Association, which included a chance to attend the annual event.
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“The vibes were great, the vibes were high, everyone was laughing, having a good time,” he told WCPO.
Then, a noise entered the room, but he said that “they didn’t register as gunshots.”
Bascuk said he watched as security rushed Tulsi Gabbard, the U.S. director of national intelligence, away.
He told WCPO that he had to duck and cover while waiting for any information about what had happened.
“I was right by the C-SPAN pool cam and the photographer said that the shots were fired upstairs in the lobby, is what they said over the radio. So it was not in the reception room and that’s kind of when I was able to take a breath a little bit,” Bascuk said.
He was then able to contact his family and let them know he was safe.
“I would say, probably the scariest part of the night was when Secret Service behind me started yelling, ‘Shots fired, shots fired,’” Bascuk said.
He added that the situation was, in some ways, unifying.
“Whether you’re a politician, a journalist, yes, we have our differences, but we’re all people and we all experienced that event together, and I think that was really on display last night,” Bascuk said.
As previously reported, officials said Cole Tomas Allen, 31, tried to charge the ballroom at the Washington Hilton with a .38 semi-automatic handgun and a 12-gauge shotgun. Gunfire was exchanged, but he was tackled by security. A Secret Service agent was hit by a bullet, with the bulletproof vest he was wearing stopping the projectile.
It is believed that Allen acted alone.
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