Cole Tomas Allen has been charged with the attempted murder of the President during the event. Allen has NOT yet pleaded to the charge(s). In addition, this new video is of significantly better quality than the video previously circulating online just minutes after the incident occurred. Most noticeably, the video depicts numerous (approximately 10-12) security agents standing in a loose formation around an entrance when the suspect dressed in a long, dark trench coat walks down the corridor directly towards the entrance.
A moment after he disappears into the doorway, the suspect sheds his coat and takes off running towards the entrance while holding an object in each hand that appears to be a gun. According to the affidavit filed by the U.S. Attorney's Office of Washington D.C., the trench coat was concealing a fully loaded 12-gauge shotgun.
The Suspect Scouted the Venue a Day Before the Attack
According to prosecutors, footage shows Allen at the Washington Hilton the day before the gala dinner. He is seen checking into the hotel as a guest, walking down a corridor and entering the gym, which investigators consider to be evidence that he was scouting the area for the day before the attack.
On the night of the attack, Allen had with him a semi-automatic pistol, a pump shotgun, and three knives when he ran across the terrace level one floor above the basement room where the high-profile press gala was taking place, where Donald Trump, JD Vance (the vice president), members of President Trump's cabinet, and various senior White House employees were located when they were evacuated from the building following the discharge of a firearm located inside the hotel.
Dispute Regarding the Way a Secret Service Officer Was Shot
An issue has arisen regarding how a Secret Service officer was struck during this act. A spokesperson for the US Secret Service had informed the media that the officer was shot with a ballistic vest and sustained no major injuries. Investigative ballistics experts are attempting to determine if the Secret Service officer was struck in the ballistic vest by the suspect's shot or by the friendly-fire gunfire from another law enforcement officer. Fox News Judicial Analyst Jeanine Pirro asserted that it is clear from the evidence that the officer was not shot by friendly fire.
However, in the memo submitted to the court on Wednesday by prosecutors, there was no mention of the officer being shot by the suspect. The director of the US Secret Service spoke with reporters on Thursday and stated that Allen shot a Secret Service agent at point-blank range with a shotgun and that after being hit by a bullet from Allen's gun, the agent managed to draw his weapon and return fire five rounds with excellent accuracy.
Investigators believe that Allen's knee struck the security scanner, which caused him to fall and allowed the officers to subdue him and handcuff him. Allen's defense attorneys have questioned the prosecutor's claims that Allen fired a weapon during this incident. In addition to the other charges he is facing, Allen has also been charged with transporting a firearm across state borders to carry out a felony and discharging a firearm during a violent crime, both of which carry a maximum penalty of ten years' imprisonment.
