Secret Service officer fires at Cole Tomas Allen after shotgun raised at checkpoint
Updated
Updated · The Washington Post · Apr 29
Secret Service officer fires at Cole Tomas Allen after shotgun raised at checkpoint
9 articles · Updated · The Washington Post · Apr 29
Surveillance video shows the officer fired at least four times as Allen sprinted through a security checkpoint outside the White House correspondents’ dinner at the Washington Hilton.
Allen, 31, was not struck by gunfire but suffered minor injuries and was arrested. Authorities charged him with attempting to assassinate the president, transporting firearms across state lines, and discharging a firearm during a crime of violence.
The footage shows no visible muzzle flash from Allen’s shotgun, and investigators are still determining the source of the round that struck the officer. President Trump, Vice President JD Vance, and Cabinet members were nearby during the incident.
An officer was shot, but the attacker wasn't. What happened in those four seconds?
With the Secret Service understaffed, are more close calls like this inevitable?
The Hinckley Hilton again: What security lessons from the 1981 Reagan attempt were missed?
If a hotel guest can bring an arsenal, can any public venue truly be secured?
Was this a security success, or a catastrophic failure that luckily ended well?
How does a 'borderline genius' with no criminal record become a would-be assassin?