Federal prosecutors have presented ballistic evidence linking a gunshot wound to a Secret Service officer during a shooting at the White House Correspondents' Association dinner, US Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro announced Sunday.
"We now can establish that a pellet that came from the buckshot from the defendant's Mossberg pump-action shotgun was intertwined with the fiber of the vest of the Secret Service officer," Pirro said on CNN.
Cole Tomas Allen, 31, allegedly bypassed security at the Washington Hilton hotel where the annual dinner was underway. He then fired a shotgun outside the ballroom doors where President Trump, First Lady Melania Trump, and cabinet members were gathered alongside hundreds of journalists and guests.
Prosecutors have charged Allen with three federal crimes, including attempted assassination of the president. He remains in custody.
Court documents reveal Allen traveled from California to Washington by train carrying a Mossberg pump-action shotgun, a .38-caliber pistol, knives, and daggers. Prosecutors allege he was prepared to carry out a mass shooting inside a room containing the nation's highest-ranking officials.
Allen's social media activity shows a pattern of extreme rhetoric. He shared posts comparing Trump to Adolf Hitler and urged others critical of the president to purchase firearms. A document he allegedly sent to family members before the attack contained criticism of Trump administration policies, complaints about security at the Hilton, and apologies to relatives for his intended actions.
Author James Rodriguez: "The ballistic evidence transforms this from an alarmed security lapse into a confirmed shooting with an injured officer, raising serious questions about how someone got this close to the president."
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