Wolf Blitzer was 'a few feet away' from the WHCD gunman: 'Is he trying to shoot me?'

Wolf Blitzer Hid in a Men's Bathroom With 15 Other People During the WHCD Shooting

CNN's senior anchor Wolf Blitzer has reported from war zones for decades. On April 25, 2026, he was in a restroom of the Washington Hilton with fifteen other men, taking shelter from gunfire feet away.

The Tackle

According to Blitzer's own on-air recounting, he was outside the ballroom when shots began. He was tackled by police as they moved guests away from the line of fire. His first reaction: "Is he trying to shoot me?" Blitzer described the weapon as "a very, very serious weapon" — consistent with later reporting that Allen carried a shotgun and two handguns.

The Shelter

Blitzer and approximately fifteen other men retreated to a men's restroom and barricaded the door until they were cleared. Six shots were fired in total during the engagement, according to multiple outlets. A Secret Service agent took one round to a vest.

What He Saw

Blitzer's CNN segment after the attack described the scene as one of the closest calls of his career. He had to ask, on air, whether the gunman had been targeting him personally. The answer — that Cole Allen was targeting administration officials, not journalists — only emerged once the manifesto became public.