U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro released security footage capturing Cole Allen, the suspect charged in last week's attempted assassination of President Trump at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, scouting the Washington Hilton the day before and charging a checkpoint with gunfire. The video details the Saturday shooting where Allen wounded a protected Secret Service agent before being subdued.
The roughly five-minute video, shared by Pirro on X and already submitted to U.S. District Court, shows Allen casing the hotel area on Friday ahead of the White House Correspondents’ Dinner. On Saturday, he ran through a security checkpoint inside the Washington Hilton, firing a Mossberg 12-gauge pump-action shotgun at Secret Service agents. The shot struck an agent's bulletproof vest, per law enforcement sources. Agents returned fire five times, causing Allen a minor knee injury; he was not hit by bullets and was quickly detained.
Allen carried a fully-loaded Rock Island Armory 1911 .38 caliber pistol and multiple knives, in addition to the shotgun. Pirro emphasized no evidence of friendly fire. 'Today, we are releasing video... showing Cole Allen shoot a U.S. Secret Service officer during his attempt to assassinate the President... My office along with the @FBI will continue this extensive investigation,' she wrote.
This follows Allen's Monday federal charges of attempted assassination, firearm transportation across state lines, and discharging a firearm during a violent crime—details from prior coverage. Just before the attack, Allen emailed a manifesto to family, declaring intent to kill Trump and officials like FBI Director Kash Patel, calling attendees complicit and justifying collateral harm.
In Thursday's D.C. federal court hearing, defense attorney Tezira Abe withdrew a request to release Allen from detention but sought to move him from isolation. Earlier arguments claimed Allen posed no danger due to no criminal history and lack of automatic weapons, countering prosecution's mass shooting claims.
The incident prompted evacuation of Trump and officials; Allen remains detained.
