Prosecutors have released new video evidence showing the moments leading up to the shooting at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, which was attended by Donald Trump and senior administration officials at the Washington Hilton last Saturday night.
The footage shows the alleged attacker, Cole Tomas Allen, entering a hallway leading to a security checkpoint. Seconds later, a police officer accompanied by a dog approaches the same doorway and looks down a corridor for about 12 seconds, while the suspect remains out of camera view.
Moments later, the officer and the dog turn away. Within seconds, Allen reappears, rushing out of the doorway with a shotgun and moving toward the security checkpoint. According to prosecutors, the video captures an exchange of gunfire between Allen and a Secret Service officer, though the exact moment the suspect fired is not clearly visible.
Washington, DC US Attorney Jeanine Pirro stated that the footage shows Allen shooting the officer and emphasized there is no indication of friendly fire.
Earlier clips in the video show the suspect wandering through different areas of the hotel, which prosecutors say suggests he was surveying the location before the attack.
Although Allen’s lawyers did not contest his pretrial detention during a court hearing, prosecutors submitted the video along with additional evidence, including images of the suspect, his hotel room, a used shotgun casing, and weapons allegedly recovered from him—such as a pistol, knives, and tape—arguing that he remains a significant threat as the case proceeds.
