Press gala in Washington: a week after the armed intrusion, the mystery surrounding the shot remains, new images published.

An agent of the Secret Service was shot on Saturday during the intrusion of Cole Tomas Allen at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner in Washington. The defense attorneys claimed their client did not fire. Authorities have released new images.

Who shot the Secret Service agent, who was protected by a bulletproof vest, during the intrusion of an armed man last Saturday at the press gala in Washington? Nearly a week after the incident, which caused panic in the United States, doubts remain.

To try to dispel them, authorities have released an enhanced version of the surveillance footage, showing Cole Tomas Allen, a 31-year-old American who intended to target Donald Trump and other members of the administration, running through the security checks in the basement of the Washington Hilton hotel.

Earlier on Thursday, the suspect’s lawyers had indicated that their client was likely not the shooter, as no image conclusively showed this. The responsibility for the shooting that injured a Secret Service agent will be crucial, especially in determining the charges against the suspect and the potential penalty.

Serious security flaws

One must revisit those few seconds at 8:30 pm on Saturday night when this man managed to breach security barriers to understand the roles of everyone involved. The surveillance footage revealed yesterday suggests that it was entirely possible for Cole Tomas Allen to have shot at an officer: as he ran, he appeared to point his weapon at an officer.

However, the video posted by the federal prosecutor of Washington raises other questions: it shows an officer with a dog on a leash checking the area where Cole Tomas Allen was, behind a door, and moving away just as the man decides to rush towards the human barricade of law enforcement.

Another troubling element: Secret Service agents seem to be dismantling some equipment as Cole Allen runs past. One of the two security barriers is knocked down by a police officer. Authorities stated that it was “malfunctioning.” The dinner in the ballroom a little further had started about fifteen minutes earlier: did the agents believe there was no longer any risk?

The suspect not struck by law enforcement

By Wednesday, judicial authorities in the capital had described the scene unfolding in the indictment. “Your client fired with his Mossberg 12-gauge pump-action shotgun at least once,” stated Deputy Federal Prosecutor Jocelyn Ballantine to the defense attorneys, as documented in the case memo.

Investigators also found that the shotgun contained a shell fired in the chamber. The deputy prosecutor mentioned “a recovered fragment with matching characteristics” and highlighted the testimony of a Secret Service agent who saw the suspect shoot in his direction.

None of the five shots fired by Secret Service agents hit the suspect. “He collapsed on the ground, was subdued by law enforcement, and was placed under arrest,” the prosecution memo stated. “The defendant suffered a minor knee injury but was not struck by gunfire.”

On April 6, he searches on his phone

The indictment also reveals some details about the attack preparation. It was learned that Cole Tomas Allen began planning his assault several weeks earlier. On April 6, he searched on his phone’s internet browser for the date and location of the White House correspondents’ dinner. 90 minutes later, he reserved a hotel room at the Washington Hilton. On April 21, four days before the event, he booked a train ticket that would take him across the country.

During this long journey (3 days), he spent his time reading about the press gala and writing his thoughts on the country passing before his eyes. He noted “wind turbines that stand like snow-covered mountains” in the New Mexico desert, praised Chicago, likened a small town in Iowa to the scale of Los Angeles, and compared the forests of Pennsylvania to “vast fairy-tale lands, filled with tiny murmuring streams in spring.”

The indictment lists the assailant’s weapons: a 12-gauge pump-action shotgun purchased in August 2025, a .38 caliber pistol bought in October 2023, along with additional magazines and cartridges.

His lawyers noted that he did not possess automatic or semi-automatic weapons, “the hallmark of contemporary mass shootings,” and that he used buckshot to “minimize casualties,” as mentioned in the letters he left behind. Uncertain whether this will mitigate his case: he is charged with attempting to kill the President of the United States.