Overview
- U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro said Sunday that a buckshot pellet from Cole Tomas Allen’s Mossberg shotgun was found woven into a Secret Service agent’s vest, confirming the agent was hit by the suspect’s shot.
- Prosecutors have charged Allen with attempting to assassinate President Donald Trump and two firearms offenses, and they caution that more counts could follow as the investigation advances.
- Allen remains in federal custody after his arraignment and, according to court filings, he waived a challenge to his detention while his lawyers seek to end jail suicide precautions they say limit calls, visits, and access to a tablet or law library.
- In a Saturday filing, defense attorneys detailed his initial placement in a padded “safe cell” and continued suicide precautions despite a nurse’s recommendation to lift them, arguing the restrictions amount to punishment and hinder his ability to prepare a defense.
- Prosecutors say Allen traveled to Washington with multiple weapons and, on April 25, ran through a magnetometer at the Washington Hilton, fired a shotgun outside the ballroom, struck an agent’s vest, and was tackled, spurring fresh scrutiny of event security that experts say worked in layers but benefited from luck.