We were instantly frantic. No one responded to my two-word email, sent at 5:41. One minute later, I typed out another one (filled with typos) on my iPhone, this time to three editors and Matt Apuzzo, our veteran Justice Department correspondent.

“PResident trump has dismissed FBI Director I’m comey on the recommendation of the attorney general, Sean spicer, the White House press secretary said Tuesday.”

Hearing nothing, I called Elisabeth Bumiller, our bureau chief.

“Is this confirmed?” she asked.

“Yes! Sean just said it. Go. Put it up!” I yelled.

So after fixing the spelling errors, the team at the bureau posted my one-sentence story by 5:48, well ahead of almost all our competitors.

Still nothing in our email inboxes. White House press staff members hurriedly passed out printed copies of the president’s termination letter and letters from the Justice Department officials.

Since I had arrived without my laptop (I won’t be doing that again) I pecked out a few sentences on my phone and sent them to an ever increasing number of reporters and editors at the bureau. I also photographed the four pages of the handout and sent the pictures to my colleagues.

By then, a crush of reporters had surged into the briefing room from their cubicles. Mike Dubke, the White House communications director, told the much larger cluster of reporters that Mr. Spicer would most likely hold a “gaggle” — an informal news conference — within about 15 minutes.