Federal prosecutors have just released new images and a detailed 20-page memorandum laying out the premeditated plot by 31-year-old Cole Tomas Allen of Torrance, California, to assassinate President Donald Trump and target members of his administration during the White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner at the Washington Hilton on Saturday.
The government’s Memorandum in Support of Pretrial Detention was filed in support of detaining Allen pending trial on charges including Attempt to Assassinate the President, Transportation of a Firearm & Ammunition in Interstate Commerce with Intent to Commit a Felony, and Discharge of a Firearm during a Crime of Violence.
Interestingly, prosecutors updated the memo to remove any reference to a Secret Service officer being hit by a bullet fired by Allen. It now states that an officer observed him fire his shotgun toward the stairs leading to the ballroom and returned fire five times, after which the suspect was tackled and arrested.
NOTABLE: Prosecutors’ memo drops any reference to a USSS officer being hit by a bullet. It now says an officer observed Allen fire in the direction of the staircase toward the WHCD. That officer then fired at Allen five times but did not hit him. https://t.co/SjBVCPQJQO pic.twitter.com/HeqOQ4V61a
— Kyle Cheney (@kyledcheney) April 29, 2026
A Secret Service agent was shot during the incident, surviving thanks to his bulletproof vest, but it has been unclear if he was shot by accidental friendly fire or the suspect.
The memo explains:
Shortly after 8:30 p.m., the defendant approached a USSS security screening checkpoint located on the Terrace Level of the hotel. Entrances to the ballroom were located on the Concourse Level, a floor below the screening checkpoint, down two open flights of stairs. Before the defendant approached the checkpoint, he discarded a long black coat that concealed a 12-gauge pump-action shotgun. The defendant then sprinted through one of the magnetometers at the checkpoint and ran in the direction of the stairs leading to the ballroom where the President and members of his family and Cabinet were located. As the defendant did so, he held a shotgun in both hands in a raised position parallel to the ground. A USSS officer observed the defendant fire the shotgun in the direction of the stairs leading down to the ballroom. The USSS officer and others at the checkpoint heard the gunshot. The USSS officer drew his service weapon and fired five times at the defendant. The defendant fell to the ground, was restrained by law enforcement, and was placed under arrest. The defendant suffered a minor injury to his knee but was not shot.
At the time of his arrest, the defendant was in possession of a Mossberg 12-gauge pump action shotgun with one spent cartridge in the barrel and eight unfired cartridges in the magazine tube. An additional six unfired cartridges were attached with Velcro to the shotgun in a detachable ammunition carrier, and the defendant possessed another ten unfired cartridges in a small leather bag. The defendant was also in possession of a Rock Island Armory 1911 .38 caliber pistol loaded with ten rounds of ammunition. He also had two additional handgun magazines, each containing nine rounds of ammunition. California and federal database records confirm that the defendant legally purchased the two weapons from separate firearms dealers in California, buying the shotgun on or about August 17, 2025, and the pistol on or about October 6, 2023. At the time of his arrest, the defendant also had on his person two knives, four daggers, multiple sheaths, multiple holsters, needle nose pliers, wire cutters, and a Samsung cellphone.
The memo also contains a mirror selfie taken by Allen in his hotel room mirror approximately 30 minutes before he charged the checkpoint.
JUST IN: Federal prosecutors release new images and details of Cole Allen and his alleged attempt to assassinate president Trump. Here is a mirror selfie he took about 30 minutes before charging past the magnetometers. https://t.co/SjBVCPQJQO pic.twitter.com/tBPnPDOQPS
— Kyle Cheney (@kyledcheney) April 29, 2026
The photo shows the suspect wearing a black dress shirt and slacks with a red necktie tucked in.
Enhanced versions in the filing reveal an ammo bag, holster, knife, sheath, and pliers or wire cutters visible.
Photographs of Allen’s full arsenal and accessories recovered at the arrest are also in the memo. This includes his Mossberg 12-gauge pump-action shotgun, a Rock Island Armory 1911 .38-caliber pistol loaded with 10 rounds, two knives, four daggers, multiple sheaths and holsters, needle-nose pliers and wire cutters, and his Samsung cellphone.
The memo also contains Allen’s manifesto, which was scheduled to be emailed to relatives and his employer at 8:30 p.m.
In it, Allen refers to himself as the “Friendly Federal Assassin,” apologizes for the deception and danger to bystanders, and expresses his hatred for President Trump.
He outlines “rules of engagement” targeting Trump administration officials, specifies buckshot use, mocks the hotel and Secret Service’s security failures that let him get so close armed, and details his travel by train across the country with the weapons.
Notes Allen kept on his phone while he crossed the country by train, per prosecutors. https://t.co/SjBVCPQJQO pic.twitter.com/xdiT4UsbDs
— Kyle Cheney (@kyledcheney) April 29, 2026
The failed assassin had booked the Hilton room weeks in advance.
Allen faces a possible life sentence plus a mandatory minimum of 10 years consecutive if convicted.
The post BREAKING: Federal Prosecutors Release New Images and Details About WHCD Shooter Cole Allen, Including Mirror Selfie Taken Just Before Rushing the Checkpoint appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.