A federal investigation has determined that the Secret Service agent wounded during an alleged assassination attempt against President Donald Trump on Saturday was struck by the suspect, not by friendly fire.
Investigators working with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives found that Cole Tomas Allen, 31, fired his shotgun and a round hit the unidentified agent wearing body armor. The agent was hospitalized but released over the weekend.
According to sources familiar with the investigation, six shots were exchanged when Allen charged a security checkpoint at the Washington Hilton during the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner on Saturday night. One shot came from Allen, while five were fired by the Secret Service agent, who was struck in his bulletproof vest.
The round that injured the agent likely hit a cellphone tucked inside the agent’s bulletproof vest. Allen was arrested at the scene.
Allen, a teacher and engineer from Torrance, California, appeared in court Monday and was charged with attempted assassination of the president, interstate transportation of a firearm and ammunition with intent to commit a felony, and discharging a firearm during a violent crime. He did not enter a plea.
In a court filing Wednesday, prosecutors included selfies Allen took in his hotel room Saturday night at the Washington Hilton. The photos showed him standing in front of a mirror, dressed in black with a red necktie.
The images revealed that Allen was wearing a small leather bag consistent with an ammunition-filled bag later recovered from his person, along with a shoulder holster, a sheathed knife, pliers, and wire cutters.
