Secret Service Officer Shot While Apprehending Suspect Returns to Accept WHCA Award

Secret Service police officer Victor Gonzales—who was struck in his ballistic vest while confronting an armed suspect at the White House Correspondents' Association (WHCA) dinner on April 25—returned to the rescheduled event on July 24 to accept The President's Award for Exceptional Service to the WHCA.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt, first lady Melania Trump, President Donald Trump, and CBS journalist and White House Correspondents' Association president Weijia Jiang attend the association's annual dinner on April 25, 2026, in Washington, D.C.Credit: Kevin Mazur/Getty

Incident and Response

Federal prosecutors allege that 31-year-old Cole Tomas Allen ran past security outside the Washington Hilton ballroom on April 25, armed with multiple firearms in an alleged plot to assassinate President Donald Trump and others. During the apprehension, Gonzales was hit but avoided a serious wound because he was wearing a ballistic vest. Law enforcement officers quickly secured the scene and escorted the president, first lady Melania Trump, Vice President J.D. Vance and other senior officials to safety.

Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and his wife, actress Cheryl Hines, are escorted by security after a shooting at the White House Correspondents' Association (WHCA) dinner in Washington, D.C. on April 25.Credit: Yuri Gripas/Abaca/Bloomberg via Getty

Recognition and Remarks

At the rescheduled dinner—moved to Washington's Waldorf Astoria near the Old Post Office—WHCA President Weijia Jiang presented Gonzales with the association's top honor. "One officer placed himself directly in harm's way ... he stayed in the fight and the attacker was stopped," Jiang said, adding, "I know many of us have wondered, what if he hadn't acted that way?" Gonzales took the stage, shook the president's hand and posed for photographs as attendees acknowledged his actions.

Shooting suspect Cole Tomas Allen, 31, is apprehended on the floor outside of the Washington Hilton ballroom on April 25.Credit: realDonaldTrump/truthsocial

"Gonzales heroically engaged the armed suspect, placing himself directly in harm's way,"

the Secret Service said in a statement, noting that Gonzales continued to respond after being struck in his protective vest and helped deter the assailant from advancing.

Workers and attendees run inside the Washington Hilton following reports of a shooting during the White House Correspondents' Association (WHCA) dinner in Washington, D.C., on April 25.Credit: Yuri Gripas/Abaca/Bloomberg via Getty

Background and Service

Gonzales, a Texas native and Marine infantry veteran who joined the Secret Service in 2022, has been assigned to protect the White House complex and support major public gatherings and National Special Security Events. The agency praised his conduct as exemplifying the Secret Service's core values: duty, justice, courage, honesty and loyalty.

Hotel Staff Honored

The WHCA also honored staff from the Washington Hilton with The President's Award for Exceptional Service to the WHCA after employees assisted with emergency procedures and continued serving guests amid the chaos. The hotel's kitchen team preserved more than 2,000 unserved dinners, including lobster, and donated them to local shelters that evening.

Program Highlights

CNN anchor Wolf Blitzer, who witnessed the April incident, presented awards that had been planned for the original dinner. Mentalist Oz Pearlman, who had been booked as the evening's entertainer and had performed a private trick before the April shooting interrupted the program, returned for the rescheduled event.

WHCA President Weijia Jiang said she wanted the rescheduled dinner to be a celebration rather than a somber vigil: "I didn't feel like we should have to adjust the tone and make it, you know, and, and put all the focus on the tragic event that happened. So let's just focus on what we missed out on instead."