Cole Tomas Allen fires shotgun in attempted assassination at Correspondents’ Dinner
Updated
Updated · The New York Times · Apr 29
Cole Tomas Allen fires shotgun in attempted assassination at Correspondents’ Dinner
19 articles · Updated · The New York Times · Apr 29
Prosecutors revealed Allen, 31, sprinted through a security checkpoint at the Washington Hilton with a shotgun, handgun, and knives, firing the shotgun before being tackled by Secret Service agents.
A Secret Service officer was struck in his protective vest during the incident, though evidence suggests Allen did not fire that round. Allen suffered only a minor knee injury and was arrested at the scene.
Court filings describe the attack as a planned act of political violence targeting President Trump and risking hundreds of lives. Allen’s detention hearing is scheduled for Thursday, with prosecutors seeking to keep him behind bars.
Why were key security measures being dismantled while the President was still at the event?
After three attempts in two years, can the President's security detail adapt fast enough?
What drove an educated engineer with no criminal past to attempt presidential assassination?
His family warned police. How did the suspect still manage to get so close to his target?
How does the law define an assassination 'attempt' when the target was never directly fired upon?
Was the Hilton shooting a security triumph or a near-disaster averted by sheer luck?