Authorities have confirmed that a Secret Service agent was struck by buckshot from the gun of the man accused of attempting to breach the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner to target President Donald Trump. Jeanine Pirro, the U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia, stated that there is conclusive evidence that the shot, fired from one of Cole Tomas Allen’s weapons, hit the officer’s bullet-resistant vest.
During the incident at a Washington hotel on April 25, the officer, who survived the attack, was hit by a pellet from Allen’s Mossberg pump-action shotgun. Allen, who is currently in custody awaiting trial, sustained injuries during the assault but was not shot.
Recently, Pirro released a video showing the moment when a man armed with guns and knives tried to enter the media gala. Questions regarding whose bullet struck the officer as the suspect rushed through security with a long gun towards the ballroom filled with journalists and officials have persisted.
Allen faces charges of attempted assassination of the president, along with two additional firearms offenses, including discharging a weapon during a violent crime. If convicted of the assassination charge, he could be sentenced to life in prison. Allen, 31, hails from Torrance, Calif., and has worked as a part-time tutor for a test preparation company while pursuing amateur video game development.
Efforts to reach Allen’s legal representatives for comment were unsuccessful as of Sunday.
