Pirro reveals evidence of Trump’s attack; Cole Allen challenges suicide prevention measures
From left, Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, Jeanine Pirro, US attorney from Washington, DC, and FBI Director Kash Patel conduct a news conference at the Department of Justice regarding Cole Thomas Allen, the suspect in the shooting at the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner, Monday, April 27, 2026.
Tom Williams Cq-roll Call, Inc. | Getty Images
US Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro said on Sunday that the alleged shooter of the White House Correspondents’ Association, Cole Thomas Allen, shot the Secret Service while trying to raid the Washington Hilton ballroom last weekend.
Pirro, speaking on CNN’s “State of the Union,” said new ballistics evidence showed the agent’s protective vest contained a buckshot pellet from the Mossberg pump-action rifle Allen allegedly wielded the night of the shooting.
Allen has been charged by federal prosecutors with attempting to kill President Donald Trump in a shooting that left a Secret Service agent shot but unharmed. Prosecutors also charged Allen with discharging a firearm during a violent crime, but until Pirro’s comments, law enforcement had not revealed whose bullet struck the agent.
“It’s definitely his shot,” Pirro said. “He had the intention of killing him and anyone who would get in his way of killing the president of the United States.”
It is not yet clear whether the determination that Allen allegedly shot the agent will lead to additional charges. Prosecutors have warned that more charges may be filed in the case.
The shooting at the annual press dinner — Trump, Vice President JD Vance and several high-ranking administration officials — was the third assassination attempt on the president since 2024.
Allen, 31, of California, has been in custody since the night of the incident. He waived his right to challenge his arrest on Thursday.
The video still shows Cole Thomas Allen running through security at the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner.
Source: SattyPirro
However, on Saturday, Allen’s lawyers in court asked the court to remove him from any means of killing himself while in custody.
Allen’s attorneys said they “didn’t see, and therefore don’t dispute, that anything was said
for the purpose of punishing Mr. Allen.”
“Nevertheless, his placement in the suicidal steps is tantamount to punishment where, as here, he has shown no signs of suicide,” they wrote.
They argue that his placement in “suicide viewing and suicide prevention measures is a violation of his rights under the Due Process Clause of the US Constitution.”
Allen’s attorneys said he was evaluated on May 1, and a prison nurse determined he should be removed from home watch and suicide prevention measures. They reported that he was about to take his own life while visiting that day, and they believe that he is still under such measures.
Allen’s attorney argued that Allen’s presence in the suicidal steps reduces his ability to defend himself and deprives him of his due process rights. A person kept on suicide watch or security measures “is not allowed to interact with others within the premises, receive visitors, make telephone calls, or access the commissary or facilities such as the library or prison tablets.”
“Continued housing under suicidal safety measures is unnecessary and violates Mr.
