India, April 29 -- Thousands of meals remained unserved during the White House Correspondents' Dinner, as gunfire outside the Washington Hilton ballroom caused panic and led to the early conclusion of the annual event.

Attendees at the dinner were served the initial course of their meal - a spring pea and burrata salad - but the main courses of prime chateaubriand steak and Maine lobster were not provided. However, the food was not wasted.

The Hilton contributed approximately 2,600 dinners that were not served at the WHCD, stated Weijia Jiang, a CBS News correspondent and the president of the White House Correspondents' Association. "They freeze dried the steak and lobster for longer shelf life before giving them to 2 shelters for abuse...