Cole Tomas Allen Shot Secret Service Officer After Rushing Security at White House Correspondents’ Dinner

A gunman identified by authorities as Cole Tomas Allen rushed security at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner at the Washington Hilton on Saturday night, bypassing a security checkpoint before he was subdued by law enforcement.

“White House to review Trump's security after shooting at dinner event The White House will hold a meeting to review US President Donald Trump's security in the wake of Saturday's shooting incident at the White House Correspondents' Dinner, a senior official has confirmed to the BBC”

BBC

CNN reported that the incident occurred at the Washington Hilton on Saturday night and that the gunman “sprinted through a security checkpoint before he fell and was subdued by law enforcement.”

BBC

The Washington Post reviewed surveillance footage showing that Allen appeared to raise his shotgun toward a Secret Service officer, after which the officer “then fired at him at least four times as he bolted through a security checkpoint.”

NBC News described the moment a volunteer ticket checker, Helen Mabus, saw a man holding what she realized was a rifle and said he “tore off toward the security checkpoint about 40 feet away.”

NBC News also reported that Erin Thielman, an Air Force veteran attending the dinner, heard “three or four really loud bangs” and saw “this man charging towards me,” carrying a shotgun.

Multiple outlets said no one inside the ballroom was hurt, while a Secret Service agent was wounded in the exchange of gunfire; Politico and MS NOW both described the officer’s bulletproof vest being struck.

The BBC said the agent was wearing a bullet-proof vest and was expected to fully recover, and it also reported that Allen, 31, was able to get near a ballroom with more than 2,000 people including Trump and cabinet members.

As scrutiny intensified, The Washington Post said surveillance footage reviewed by the paper shows Cole Tomas Allen “appeared to raise his shotgun in the direction of a Secret Service officer” and that the officer “then fired at him at least four times as he bolted through a security checkpoint.”

The Post said the video provides “the clearest picture yet of the four seconds between when Allen burst out of a doorway in full sprint and when he exited the frame, falling to the ground at the top of a staircase leading to the ballroom.”

CBS News

Politico reported that prosecutors believe Allen fired at least one round from a “12-gauge shotgun,” and it said the question remained whether the shot that struck the officer was fired by Allen.

Politico described a court filing that said a Secret Service officer “was shot once in the chest,” and it added that the officer “drew his service weapon and fired multiple times at Allen, who fell to the ground and suffered minor injuries but was not shot.”

MS NOW said the FBI still had not found the fragment that pierced the officer’s bulletproof vest, leaving investigators unable to say for certain whether Allen shot the officer or how he was injured.

MS NOW also said that on Saturday, “one Secret Service officer from the uniformed division” shot “five rounds at the fleeing man” after Allen sprinted through the final screening checkpoint.

CNN, meanwhile, quoted a former Secret Service official saying, “We have limited resources, and we use them as best we can,” and described the agency as “stretched thin,” tying the renewed questions to staffing and burnout challenges.

While the White House and top law enforcement officials defended the response, critics and some former agents argued the incident exposed vulnerabilities.

“President Donald Trump, the acting attorney general and other top administration officials all publicly say the Secret Service responded as intended when a gunman tried to force his way into the White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner”

CNN

CNN reported that acting Attorney General Todd Blanche told CNN’s Dana Bash on Sunday, “It was a massive security success story,” adding that “This man, from what we know from video surveillance and from witnesses who were there, barely got past the perimeter. He was immediately subdued.”

CNN also quoted Secret Service Director Sean Curran, who told reporters on Capitol Hill he was “very confident” and said, “My agents did a great job.”

The BBC reported that Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt defended the actions of the Secret Service, saying “they did their jobs” stopping the suspect from entering the ballroom and escorting Trump and other officials to safety.

NewsNation included a former FBI special agent, Jonathan Gilliam, who said the attempt was a “total failure” and argued that “It doesn’t seem like that happened in this case, but it also didn’t happen in Butler, Pennsylvania and it didn’t happen in Florida when they had two other attempts on the president‘s life.”

NewsNation also quoted a retired Supervisory Special Agent, Christopher W. Hinkle, who pushed back by saying the incident had successes such as “no one was assassinated, no one died, and the suspect was taken into custody and interviewed on scene.”

NBC News quoted acting Attorney General Todd Blanche defending the Secret Service at an afternoon press conference, saying “Law enforcement did not fail,” and “They did exactly what they are trained to do.”

Beyond the debate over whether the response was a “success story,” multiple reports described specific uncertainties and potential lapses that investigators are still working through.

Politico said the DOJ was not sure whether Allen fired the shot that struck the Secret Service officer, and it quoted acting Attorney General Todd Blanche saying, “We want to get that right, so we’re still looking at that,” and that he would not provide “exacting ballistics” because it was “still being looked at and finalized.”

MS NOW

MS NOW reported that “the FBI still unsure who shot officer outside ballroom” and said it had not found the fragment that pierced the officer’s bulletproof vest, leaving investigators unable to say for certain whether Allen shot the officer.

MS NOW also said “No officers or agents were stationed in the stairwell that Allen used to get to the main hotel floor and just steps from the checkpoint he breached,” and it described how investigators reviewed hotel video showing Allen reached the checkpoint by walking down the stairwell “10 floors down from his hotel room.”

CNN reported that lawmakers and law enforcement experts raised concerns about whether there should have been a larger security perimeter or additional agents on site for an event where “the president, vice president and most of the Cabinet were all gathered,” and it quoted Rep. Mike Lawler saying security was “woefully insufficient when you’re talking about that many people getting into a room of that size.”

CNN also reported that one source familiar with Secret Service procedures expressed concerns about whether “no one was assigned at the floor entry point to the ballroom area,” while another source said pushing the security perimeter farther out would have required more staffing.

NewsNation added that Jonathan Gilliam said the Secret Service “does not do reviews of the mistakes that they made,” and he argued that “they’re making the same mistakes that they made both in Butler and in Florida.”

The incident has prompted planned reviews and new security discussions tied to Trump’s upcoming schedule, with officials emphasizing both the need to learn lessons and the desire to keep changes private.

“The rush of guests entering the White House correspondents’ dinner was over, and now Helen Mabus, a volunteer ticket checker, had a moment to herself”

NBC News

The BBC reported that the White House will hold a meeting to review Trump’s security after the shooting, and it said Chief of Staff Susie Wiles will hold a meeting early this week with operations staff and representatives of the Secret Service and Department of Homeland Security to “discuss protocol and practices.”

NBC News

The BBC also quoted a senior White House official saying the meeting will discuss “the processes and procedures that worked to stop Saturday's attempt, while exploring additional options to ensure all relevant components are doing everything possible to secure the many major events planned for President Trump in the months ahead.”

The BBC said Trump is expected to attend high-profile events including for the Fifa World Cup and events celebrating the 250th anniversary of the US in July, and it also reported that the correspondent’s dinner was not formally designated as a “National Special Security Event.”

CNN reported that Curran began briefing Congress on Monday about the episode, and it said he told reporters on Capitol Hill he was “very confident” in the agency.

MS NOW said the Secret Service on Monday began a sweeping internal investigation known as a Mission Assurance Review, run by the Service’s Office of Professional Responsibility.

NewsNation reported that Pirro said the man accused would be arraigned Monday, with at least two preliminary charges including using a firearm during a crime of violence and assault on a federal officer using a dangerous weapon.