Cole Tomas Allen, the 31-year-old California resident suspected of opening fire at the White House correspondents' dinner in April, has been hit with an additional federal charge alleging he fired a shotgun at a US Secret Service agent during his rush toward the ballroom, authorities said Tuesday.
The new assault charge is part of a revised four-count indictment returned by a federal grand jury in Washington. Allen previously faced counts of attempted assassination, discharge of a firearm during a crime of violence, and illegal transportation of a firearm and ammunition across state lines.
On April 25, Allen allegedly sprinted past security at the Washington Hilton hotel, where roughly 2,500 journalists and administration officials were gathered for the annual press gala. Prosecutors say he was heading toward the ballroom with the intent to assassinate President Trump and other senior officials.
According to the indictment, as Allen breached the security perimeter, he fired a shotgun and struck a Secret Service agent in the chest. The agent, wearing body armor, was not seriously injured. Investigators recovered several other weapons in Allen's possession.
The charge of assaulting a federal officer with a deadly weapon was not part of the original case against Allen. A detention hearing memo filed by prosecutors on April 29 made no mention of the agent being shot. The shift came after US Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro released video footage last Thursday purporting to show Allen firing at the checkpoint.
Pirro told CNN on Sunday that physical evidence recovered from the scene bolstered the accusation. A pellet from Allen's shotgun was found intertwined with fibers from the agent's vest, she said.
"Today's indictment underscores a simple truth: there is evidence this defendant intended to assassinate the president, and that he shot a US Secret Service officer after he traversed the country with a cache of ammunition to accomplish his goals," Pirro said in a statement. "The use of violence to register dissent is anti-democratic at its core. We will pursue the maximum punishment available under the law against anyone who travels to the District of Columbia to engage in such acts."
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche called the law enforcement response decisive. "The heavily armed defendant rushed security and shot a Secret Service Officer in an attempt to assassinate President Trump but was stopped thanks to the courageous and immediate response from law enforcement," Blanche said.
Author James Rodriguez: "The addition of this charge suggests prosecutors found video and forensic evidence that wasn't immediately apparent from initial filings, which raises questions about what else may have been uncovered since April."
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