Fresh federal court documents filed Wednesday have created uncertainty around earlier government statements regarding who actually wounded a Secret Service agent during Saturday’s alleged assassination attempt at the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner.
The suspect, 31-year-old Cole Tomas Allen, discharged a shotgun toward the staircase that led down to the ballroom where President Donald Trump, administration officials, and journalists had assembled, according to a pretrial detention filing that provides the most detailed government narrative of the incident to date.
While prosecutors mention in the filing that an officer discharged his weapon five times, the document makes no reference to that officer or any other agent being wounded. Investigators recovered one spent shell from Allen’s shotgun, the Wednesday filing states.
The paperwork does not allege that Allen targeted or hit the Secret Service agent who officials say sustained a chest wound but was shielded by body armor.
This account differs significantly from previous statements by acting Attorney General Todd Blanche and U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro, and opens questions about the source of the gunfire that wounded the federal agent.
Following the incident, Pirro announced to media that Allen would face charges for “assault on a federal officer using a dangerous weapon,” though such charges have not yet materialized. Pirro indicated additional charges against Allen remain possible. Prosecutors have charged Allen with attempting to kill the president.
During a Sunday interview with ABC’s George Stephanopoulos, Blanche stated his belief that Allen’s shotgun rounds struck the officer. He maintained this position at Monday’s press conference while adding the qualifier, “We’re still looking at that.”
When Reuters sought clarification about who shot the Secret Service officer, a White House spokesperson directed inquiries to law enforcement agencies. Neither the Secret Service nor the Justice Department provided immediate responses to requests for comment.
The government’s version of events faced additional scrutiny Wednesday when the Washington Post analyzed security camera footage the publication acquired, which showed no evidence that Allen discharged his weapon.
The Post’s review revealed that a law enforcement officer fired his handgun repeatedly at Allen as he rushed through the security checkpoint at the Washington Hilton hotel. During the brief incident lasting only seconds, other security personnel appeared to be positioned in the shooting officer’s line of fire as Allen ran past.
Wednesday’s detention motion omitted any mention of a wounded Secret Service officer, though a Monday affidavit supporting the criminal complaint referenced the shooting without identifying the shooter.
The federal court affidavit stated that Secret Service personnel “heard a loud gunshot.” An agent identified only by the initials “V.G.” who was wearing protective gear sustained one gunshot wound, according to the document, which does not specify who fired the shot.
The affidavit indicates Officer V.G. fired several rounds at Allen, who was not wounded but collapsed to the ground.
Court documents reveal that Allen prepared a manifesto before his attack, writing that “in order to minimize casualties I will also be using buckshot rather than slugs (less penetration through walls).”
When questioned at Monday’s news conference about whether Officer V.G. was the sole officer to discharge his weapon, Blanche said investigators were gathering evidence but acknowledged the process was not an “exact science.” He observed that buckshot specifically “scatters everywhere, and sometimes it just disappears.”
Wednesday’s court filing contains a photograph Allen captured of himself in his hotel room mirror prior to the attack. The image shows him dressed entirely in black except for what appears to be a red necktie tucked into his trousers, equipped with an ammunition pouch, shoulder holster, sheathed blade, pliers and wire cutting tools.
