Erika Kirk, the widow of slain conservative icon Charlie Kirk, was seen in tears and visibly shaken as she was rushed out of the White House Correspondents’ Dinner after a gunman opened fire outside the ballroom Saturday night, an eyewitness told The Post.
“I just want to go home. I just want to go home,” the distressed 37-year-old Turning Point USA CEO reportedly said after the chaos erupted at the Washington Hilton.
This comes more than six months after her husband was shot dead at a speaking event at Utah Valley University on Sept. 10, making the moment all the more heartbreaking for her.
The same eyewitness described Robert F. Kennedy Jr. being carried out by his security detail, one on each side supporting his weight, as his feet dragged along the floor.
The Health and Human Services Secretary, who attended the gala with his wife, actress Cheryl Hines, appeared disoriented and “delirious,” according to the witness.
President Trump, first lady Melania, and a wave of senior officials were dramatically evacuated from the glitzy event after alleged shooter Cole Tomas Allen, 31, fired multiple shots while storming a security checkpoint and rushing toward the ballroom with a shotgun and multiple knives, police and sources said.
The gunfire rang out about 20 minutes after Trump arrived to the event he had boycotted since 2011, and harrowing footage showed more than 2,000 panicked guests, including scores of Washington journalists and top White House officials, diving under tables for cover.
The suspect, a teacher and Caltech grad from Torrance, California, was quickly taken down by Secret Service agents in the lobby.
Police believe Allen was a guest at the hotel, where the annual event honoring the Washington press corps is held each year.
DC US Attorney Jeanine Pirro said the gunman is charged with assault on a federal law enforcement officer and two counts of using a gun to commit violence.
He will be arraigned Monday in federal court, with more charges expected, Pirro said.