Federal Prosecutors Charge California Man With Attempted Assassination in White House Correspondents' Dinner Shooting

Federal prosecutors have charged Cole Allen, 31, of Torrance, California, with attempted assassination of President Donald Trump following a shooting at the White House Correspondents' Dinner on Saturday night in Washington, D.C. The federal complaint includes two additional firearms-related counts. A Secret Service agent was struck by a round during the incident but was protected by a bulletproof vest and later released from the hospital, according to CBS News.

The Details

Allen made his first court appearance in federal court in Washington, where he was ordered detained pending a follow-up hearing, Al Jazeera reported. A preliminary hearing has been set for May 11, according to NBC News.

The three charges — attempted assassination of the president, interstate transportation of weapons, and discharge of a firearm during a violent crime — were described in a federal court hearing by prosecutor Jocelyn Ballantine. "He attempted to assassinate the president of the United States, Donald J. Trump," Ballantine said, according to NBC News.

Authorities say Allen was carrying a 12-gauge pump-action shotgun, a .38-caliber semiautomatic pistol, and three knives when he was arrested, NBC News reported. Investigators believe he traveled by train from the Los Angeles area to Washington, D.C., before the attack, according to NBC News.

U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro described the alleged attack at a post-shooting appearance. "It is clear, based upon what we know so far, that this individual was intent on doing as much harm and as much damage as he could," Pirro said, per CBS News.

The shooting took place Saturday night at the White House Correspondents' Association dinner, where President Trump and other senior officials were present, CBS News reported. A Secret Service agent was struck during the incident but was shielded by a bulletproof vest and subsequently released from the hospital, CBS News reported.

Context

The White House Correspondents' Association dinner is an annual Washington event that draws members of the press corps, White House officials, and the president. The gathering has historically served as a high-profile media and government function, with this year's edition attended by senior federal officials including the president, according to CBS News.

Note: Some outlets render the suspect's middle name as "Thomas" while others use "Tomas." CBS News used the "Thomas" spelling in its reporting; NBC News and Al Jazeera used "Tomas." All outlets identify the suspect as Cole Allen, 31, of Torrance, California.

What's Next

Allen is due back in federal court with a preliminary hearing scheduled for May 11, according to NBC News. He was ordered detained pending that hearing following his initial court appearance, Al Jazeera reported.

Federal prosecutors have filed three counts and will proceed through the court process. No further details on the scope of the prosecution were available in the sourced record at time of publication.