New ballistics evidence has confirmed that Cole Tomas Allen, the man charged with attempting to assassinate President Donald Trump at the White House Correspondents' Association dinner, shot a Secret Service agent during the attack, U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro revealed Sunday.
Pirro, appearing on CNN's "State of the Union," said a buckshot pellet from the Mossberg pump-action shotgun Allen allegedly carried was found embedded in an agent's protective vest. The agent was not injured.
"It is definitively his bullet," Pirro said. "He had every intention to kill him and anyone who got in his way on his way to killing the president of the United States."
Before Pirro's comments, law enforcement had not publicly disclosed whose bullet struck the agent. Allen has already been charged with attempting to assassinate the president and with discharging a firearm during a crime of violence. Prosecutors have warned that additional charges may be filed. It was not immediately clear whether the new ballistics finding would result in further counts.
Allen, 31, of California, was arrested the night of the shooting at the Washington Hilton. The attack marked the third attempt on Trump's life since 2024. Trump, Vice President JD Vance, and numerous senior administration officials were attending the annual press dinner when the shooting occurred. Allen waived his right to challenge his detention in court on Thursday.
A separate legal dispute over Allen's jail conditions was resolved Sunday. His attorneys had filed an emergency motion Saturday arguing that his placement on suicide precautions was unconstitutional and was interfering with his ability to prepare a defense. They wrote that Allen had "exhibited no indications of suicidality" and that the conditions violated his due process rights under the Constitution.
A jail nurse had assessed Allen on May 1 and determined he should be removed from suicide watch and suicide precautions protocols, but his attorneys said he remained on those protocols when they visited him that day. After he was actually removed from the precautions Sunday, the emergency motion was withdrawn. His attorneys requested a Monday hearing, which was subsequently scheduled to be canceled.
The case moves forward with the possibility of a more expansive indictment. Prosecutors have not specified a timeline for any additional charges.
