The man suspected of the shooting at the annual correspondents' dinner in Washington, D.C., intended to shoot officials from President Donald Trump's administration.
He is said to have told police this after his arrest, writes the American media CBS News based on two unnamed sources.
It has not been officially confirmed on Sunday morning Danish time that this was the motive.
The shooting occurred Saturday evening local time. Donald Trump and several others were evacuated.
It was the first time that Trump as a sitting president had attended the press dinner, which was held at a hotel.
The president subsequently said that a person from the Secret Service was shot, but was saved by a bulletproof vest. No one else was injured.
The dinner was canceled and postponed to a later date.
According to Trump, the perpetrator is from California. Several American media outlets report that he is a 31-year-old man from Torrance in the American state.
The perpetrator was in possession of a pistol, a shotgun and several knives when he attacked the hotel in Washington D.C. This was reported by the Chief of the Metropolitan Police, Jeffery Carroll, early Sunday morning Danish time. He added that the perpetrator was not hit by gunfire.
The authorities believe that he was a guest at the hotel. He will be arraigned in federal court on Monday.
The annual press dinner is organized by The White House Correspondents' Association (WHCA). It is the association of journalists who cover the White House.
According to the organizers, the purpose of the correspondents' dinner is to create a relaxed forum for social interaction between the press and the White House.
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