From left, Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, Washington, D.C., U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro, and FBI Director Kash Patel hold a press conference at the Department of Justice on Monday, April 27, 2026, about Cole Thomas Allen, the suspect in the White House Correspondents Association Dinner shooting.
Tom Williams | Cq-roll Call Inc. | Getty Images
U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro announced Sunday that Cole Thomas Allen, the suspect in the White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner shooting, shot and killed a Secret Service agent during an attack on the Washington Hilton ballroom over the weekend.
Pirro told CNN’s “State of the Union” that new ballistics evidence shows the agent’s protective vest contained pellets from the Mossberg pump-action shotgun that Allen was said to be carrying on the night of the shooting.
Allen is being charged by federal prosecutors with attempting to assassinate President Donald Trump in the shooting that left a Secret Service agent shot but unharmed. Prosecutors also charged Allen with discharging a firearm during a violent crime, but until Pirro’s comments, law enforcement officials had not disclosed whose bullet struck the agent.
“This is definitely his bullet,” Pirro said. “He intended to kill himself and anyone who stood in his path to killing the President of the United States.”
It was not immediately clear whether the determination that Allen was the person who allegedly shot the agent would lead to additional charges. Prosecutors warned that further charges could be filed in the case.
The shooting at the annual press dinner, which was attended by President Trump, Vice President J.D. Vance and a number of senior administration officials, was the third attempt on the president’s life since 2024.
Allen, 31, of California, has been in custody since the night of the shooting. He waived his right to contest his detention Thursday.
Video shows Cole Thomas Allen running through security at the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner.
Provided by: USAttyPirro
But on Saturday, Allen’s lawyers asked the court in a court filing to remove him from suicide prevention measures while he is incarcerated.
Allen’s lawyer said, “We do not dispute that because we have not seen such expressions.”
I’m going to punish Mr. Allen. ”
“Nevertheless, when, as in this case, he showed no signs of suicidal tendencies, his suicide prevention measures amounted to punishment,” they wrote.
They argued that his placement on “suicide watch and suicide prevention measures” violated his rights under the U.S. Constitution’s Due Process Clause.
Allen’s attorney said Allen underwent an evaluation on May 1 and that prison nurses determined he should be removed from suicide watch and suicide prevention measures. They reported that during their visit that day, he was still taking suicide precautions and believed such precautions were currently in place.
The defense said Allen’s suicide precautions limit his ability to defend himself and deprive him of his right to due process. People on suicide watch or precautions “are not allowed to interact with others in the facility, receive visits, make phone calls, or access resources such as the commissary, law library or jail tablets.”
“Continued housing under suicide prevention measures is unnecessary, deprives Mr. Allen of dignity and access to prison resources, and violates his due process rights,” they wrote.
