Pirro Says Ballistic Evidence Ties Suspect to Secret Service Shooting

Jeanine Pirro said a buckshot pellet from Cole Tomas Allen’s shotgun was “intertwined with the fiber of the vest” worn by a Secret Service officer, a forensic detail that strengthens the government’s claim that Allen fired during the attack at the White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner. The statement gives prosecutors a harder physical link than video alone, but it still matters most as a piece of the case, not the whole answer: it helps tie a weapon to an officer’s protective vest, while intent, planning and the full sequence of shots still have to be proven in court.

The shooting broke out on April 25, 2026, at the Washington Hilton in Washington, D.C., where President Donald Trump, Vice President JD Vance and several Cabinet officials were attending the dinner. Officials said around 3,000 people were in the ballroom when the gunfire started. One Secret Service agent was shot in a protective vest and was not seriously injured, a detail that underscores how close the attack came to turning a high-profile political gathering into a mass-casualty event.

Federal prosecutors say Allen, 31, of Torrance, California, had reserved a room at the Washington Hilton on April 6 for April 24 through April 26. They said he traveled by train from near Los Angeles to Chicago and then by train to Washington, arriving in the District at about 1 p.m. on April 24 before checking into the hotel later that day. A federal detention memorandum said Allen took a selfie in his room at about 8:03 p.m. on April 25 wearing a black dress shirt, black slacks and a red necktie tucked into his pants, alongside items that allegedly matched later-recovered evidence, including an ammunition-filled bag, a shoulder holster, a sheathed knife, pliers and wire cutters.

The Justice Department has charged Allen with attempted assassination of the president, interstate transportation of a firearm and ammunition with intent to commit a felony, and discharge of a firearm during a crime of violence. Authorities say he carried a shotgun, a handgun and multiple knives. The FBI also said Allen’s brother alerted police in Connecticut after receiving a lengthy message in which Allen called himself a “Friendly Federal Assassin” and said he intended to target Trump administration officials.

Video released by the U.S. attorney shows Allen engaging with security at the dinner and casing the Hilton the day before the attack, the FBI said. NBC reported that the footage appears to show Allen shooting a Secret Service officer as he ran through a security checkpoint with a shotgun in his hands. For the White House Correspondents’ Association, which says the dinner is its main source of revenue and funds scholarships, awards and programs for journalists, the shooting is likely to trigger lasting scrutiny of how a semi-public event inside a working hotel was protected.