U.S. Officials Say Evidence Links White House Correspondents' Dinner Attack Suspect to Shot Fired at Agent

Mintesinot Niggusie

U.S. prosecutors say forensic evidence has tied a federal agent's injury to a shotgun round allegedly fired during an attempted assassination of President Donald Trump near the White House Correspondents' Association Dinner last weekend.

U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro said investigators had established that a pellet from buckshot discharged by the suspect's Mossberg pump-action shotgun was found embedded in the vest of a Secret Service officer. "It is definitively his bullet," she said during a televised interview, describing the findings as central to the case.

The suspect, identified as Cole Tomas Allen, is accused of breaching a security checkpoint and firing a shotgun in a foyer leading to the event on April 25. He faces charges including attempted assassination, discharge of a firearm during a violent crime, and interstate transport of weapons and ammunition. He has not entered a plea.

Authorities allege the incident occurred during security operations linked to the White House Correspondents' Dinner, an annual political and media gathering in Washington.

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said further charges remain possible as the investigation continues. He said additional information is expected in the coming days, adding that an indictment would follow if prosecutors proceed on the current trajectory.

The case remains under active investigation, with officials indicating that the evidentiary record is still being developed.