An injured U.S. Secret Service officer fired five shots at a gunman who was allegedly attempting to assassinate President Donald Trump during an attack on the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner Saturday evening.
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said the officer was struck by a firearm in the chest but was protected by a ballistic vest and returned fire five times, before the 31-year-old suspect Cole Tomas Allen fell to the ground.
“One Secret Service officer was shot in the chest, but was wearing a ballistic vest that worked,” Blanche said during a press conference Monday afternoon. “This heroic officer who was hit fired five times at Allen, who was not shot, but fell to the ground and was promptly arrested.”
Blanche said that investigators believe Allen discharged his shotgun during the encounter, though ballistics analysis remains ongoing. Security footage released to the public shows additional agents rushing toward the checkpoint with weapons drawn in the immediate aftermath of the gunfire.
“Those of us that have ever shot one of these know what happens when you shoot that, is the casing stays inside the firearm,” Blanche said in reference to the shotgun. “And then if you reload it, it pops it out. My understanding is that it was inside the firearm, but hadn’t been ejected, which means that it hadn’t been pulled back again.”
The acting attorney general at times added confusing details to his remarks about the attack, saying at one point that Allen was “tackled” despite the criminal complaint saying he fell. Blanche insisted “both can be true,” but that he would defer to the sworn complaint for “precision.”
Officials also have not yet explained why no other officers appear to have fired or why the shots fired at Allen did not strike him, but Blanche’s account indicates the rounds came from the wounded officer, a factor that could possibly help explain the missed shots.
Blanche also started the press conference in active defense of law enforcement, chastising individual media reports that have described the incident as a failure of law enforcement. “Law enforcement did not fail,” he said. “They did exactly what they were trained to do.”
According to a newly unsealed probable cause affidavit, Allen approached a security checkpoint on the terrace level of the Washington Hilton around 8:40 p.m. on April 25 and ran through a magnetometer while holding a long gun. Secret Service personnel then heard a loud gunshot, and an officer was struck once in the chest.
The affidavit states the wounded officer drew his service weapon and fired multiple times at Allen, “who fell to the ground and suffered minor injuries but was not shot.”
Authorities said Allen had traveled from California days before the attack, taking an Amtrak route that included a trip from Los Angeles to Chicago on April 21 before continuing on to Washington, D.C. He arrived in the nation’s capital on April 24 at approximately 1 p.m. and checked into the Washington Hilton.
Officials said Allen had made the hotel reservation earlier in April, after Trump publicly announced plans to attend the dinner in March, a timeline prosecutors say reflects premeditation.
When Allen was arrested, he was carrying a 12-gauge pump-action shotgun and a Rock Island Armory 1911 .38-caliber pistol, and at least three knives, according to court records.
NOW: First images of the firearms used by Cole Allen in the attempted assassination of President Trump on Saturday. pic.twitter.com/i2MIcAZmVb
— Kaelan Deese (@KaelanDC) April 27, 2026
Federal firearm transaction data reviewed by investigators show he purchased the shotgun from a California dealer around Aug. 17, 2025, and the pistol from another dealer in the state on Oct. 6, 2023.
Allen has been charged with attempted assassination of the president, interstate transportation of a firearm to commit a felony, and discharge of a firearm during a crime of violence. Blanche said the attempted assassination charge carries up to life in prison, while the firearm discharge count carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years, up to life, consecutive to any other sentence.
U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro, whose office is leading the case, said the attack was deliberate and pointed to a manifesto in which Allen allegedly outlined plans to target Trump and other senior administration officials.
“Make no mistake, this was an attempted assassination of the president of the United States,” Pirro said, adding that the suspect “made clear what his intent was.”
FBI Director Kash Patel said the bureau has recovered multiple electronic devices from Allen’s hotel room and California residence and is continuing to analyze them as part of a nationwide investigation. He also confirmed that authorities are examining whether Allen had any connections to far-left groups or ideological influences.
“Yes, we’re investigating all potential connections,” Patel said when asked about whether the FBI is looking into links between Allen and extreme groups.
A report by the New York Post over the weekend mentioned that Allen’s sister told investigators that he professed to be part of a progressive activist network known as “The Wide Awakes,” and that he also attended at least one anti-Trump No Kings protest since the president returned to the Oval Office last year.
COLE ALLEN CHARGED WITH ATTEMPTING TO ASSASSINATE TRUMP
In a statement to the Daily Caller News Foundation, a representative for the Wide Awakes said, “We do not know Allen he doesn’t have a connection to us as far as anyone knows,” and that Allen may have been involved in a February demonstration against Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Hudson, Wisconsin.
Officials said the investigation remains ongoing as agents continue to interview witnesses and process evidence tied to the attack.
