Timeline: Was a Secret Service officer shot at the Trump press dinner?

In a detention filing, it was stated that a Secret Service officer observed the defendant fire the shotgun in the direction of the stairs leading down to the ballroom; prosecutors did not say whether Allen's shot struck anyone. A defense filing suggested the government had retreated from asserting that Allen shot the officer.

In the same briefing, authorities said it appeared that five shots were fired during the incident, and Blanche stated that the suspect fired a shotgun, noting that this did occur.

The government unveiled a criminal complaint against Allen stating that he approached and ran through the magnetometer holding a long gun. As he did so, US Secret Service personnel heard a loud gunshot, and USSS Officer V.G. was shot once in the chest while wearing a ballistic vest. Prosecutors did not explicitly allege that Allen shot the officer.

Video of the moment shows the gunman, identified as Allen, running through the security checkpoint at the hotel. Pirro said the clip appeared to show the suspect shooting a Secret Service officer, though it is unclear from the footage if a shot was fired. The clip also shows a Secret Service officer raising a gun with muzzle flashes visible. Authorities noted there is no evidence the shooting was friendly fire.

An affidavit issued by the Justice Department on the night of April 25, 2026 named Cole Tomas Allen, 31, as the suspect in the incident and listed charges including that he discharged a firearm. Authorities said Allen was in custody and was armed with a semi-automatic handgun, a pump-action shotgun and three knives.

During a Saturday news conference, President Trump said a Secret Service officer was shot at very close distance with a very powerful gun at the Washington Hilton during the White House Correspondents' Association dinner, and that the officer survived due to wearing a ballistic vest.