{"id":2595870,"date":"2026-04-27T19:01:00","date_gmt":"2026-04-27T23:01:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/secret-service-agent-fired-five-shots-at-cole-during-trump-assassination-attempt\/"},"modified":"2026-04-27T19:05:47","modified_gmt":"2026-04-27T23:05:47","slug":"secret-service-agent-fired-five-shots-at-cole-during-trump-assassination-attempt","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/secret-service-agent-fired-five-shots-at-cole-during-trump-assassination-attempt\/","title":{"rendered":"Secret Service agent fired five shots at Cole during Trump assassination attempt"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">24<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fsecret-service-agent-fired-five-shots-at-cole-during-trump-assassination-attempt%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2595870&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>A U.S. Secret Service officer was shot in the chest during an attack at the White House Correspondents\u2019 Association dinner on April 25, 2026, but the officer\u2019s ballistic vest prevented serious harm.Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said the officer then fired five times at the alleged gunman, Cole Tomas Allen, who fell, was not hit, and was quickly arrested.<\/p>\n<p>Officials say investigators believe Allen discharged a shotgun at a security checkpoint after running through a magnetometer while holding a long gun. A newly unsealed probable cause affidavit says the officer fired multiple shots, and Allen suffered minor injuries without being struck. Security footage also shows additional agents moving toward the checkpoint promptly after the gunfire.<\/p>\n<p>Prosecutors allege premeditation, noting Allen traveled to Washington from california days earlier and booked a hotel room after Trump announced plans to attend in March. When arrested, Allen reportedly had a 12-gauge pump-action shotgun, a .38-caliber pistol, and multiple knives. Federal records reviewed by investigators indicate he bought the shotgun in August 2025 and the pistol in October 2023.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >allen faces charges including attempted assassination<\/a> of the president, interstate transportation of a firearm to commit a felony, and discharge of a firearm during a crime of violence, with severe potential penalties. FBI Director Kash Patel said investigators recovered electronic devices from Allen\u2019s hotel room and residence and are examining possible ideological or group connections, while authorities continue interviews and evidence processing.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<article class=\"fn-body\">\n<p>An injured <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/secret-service\/\">U.S. Secret Service<\/a> officer fired five shots at a gunman who was allegedly attempting to assassinate President <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/donald-trump\/\">Donald Trump<\/a> during an attack on the White House Correspondents\u2019 Association dinner Saturday evening.<\/p>\n<p>Acting Attorney General <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/todd-blanche\/\">Todd Blanche<\/a> said the officer was struck by a firearm in the chest but was protected by a ballistic vest and returned fire five times, before the 31-year-old suspect Cole Tomas Allen fell to the ground.<\/p>\n<section class=\"explore-more-section\" id=\"wex-recommended-widget\">\n<div class=\"magazine-container single\">\n<h1 class=\"magazine-title mt-2\">Recommended Stories<\/h1>\n<p>             <i class=\"fa-solid fa-play icon\"><\/i>         <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-grid\">\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/justice\/4544612\/doj-white-house-correspondents-association-dinner-shooter\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>WATCH LIVE: DOJ briefs press on investigation of WHCA dinner shooter<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/justice\/4544489\/cole-allen-faces-charges-attempt-to-assassinate-trump\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Cole Allen charged with attempting to assassinate Trump<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/white-house\/4544382\/historic-preservation-group-wont-end-lawsuit-against-trump-ballroom\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Historical preservation group won\u2019t end lawsuit against Trump\u2019s ballroom<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">From left, U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro, acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, FBI Director Kash Patel, and FBI Washington Field Office Director Darren Cox hold a press conference at the Department of Justice headquarters after White House Correspondents\u2019 dinner shooting suspect Cole Allen was arraigned at a courthouse on April 27, 2026. (Graeme Jennings\/Washington Examiner)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>\u201cOne Secret Service officer was shot in the chest, but was wearing a ballistic vest that worked,\u201d Blanche said during a press conference Monday afternoon. \u201cThis heroic officer who was hit fired five times at Allen, who was not shot, but fell to the ground and was promptly arrested.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p>Blanche said that investigators believe Allen discharged his shotgun during the encounter, though ballistics analysis remains ongoing. Security footage released to the public shows additional agents rushing toward the checkpoint with weapons drawn in the immediate aftermath of the gunfire.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThose of us that have ever shot one of these know what happens when you shoot that, is the casing stays inside the firearm,\u201d Blanche said in reference to the shotgun. \u201cAnd then if you reload it, it pops it out. My understanding is that it was inside the firearm, but hadn\u2019t been ejected, which means that it hadn\u2019t been pulled back again.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/attorney-lin-wood-defends-ag-bill-barr-after-announces-he-is-stepping-down-trump-voters-respond\/\" title=\"... Lin Wood Defends AG Bill Barr After Announces He Is Stepping Down \u2014 Trump Voters Respond\">acting attorney general<\/a> at times added confusing details to his remarks about the attack, saying at one point that Allen was \u201ctackled\u201d despite the criminal complaint saying he fell. Blanche insisted \u201cboth can be true,\u201d but that he would defer to the sworn complaint for \u201cprecision.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Officials also have not yet explained why no other officers appear to have fired or why the shots fired at Allen did not strike him, but Blanche\u2019s account indicates the rounds came from the wounded officer, a factor that could possibly help explain the missed shots.<\/p>\n<p>Blanche also started the press conference in active defense of law enforcement, chastising individual media reports that have described the incident as a failure of law enforcement. \u201cLaw enforcement did not fail,\u201d he said. \u201cThey did exactly what they were trained to do.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>According to a <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/storage.courtlistener.com\/recap\/gov.uscourts.dcd.291781\/gov.uscourts.dcd.291781.1.1.pdf\">newly unsealed probable cause affidavit<\/a>, Allen approached a security checkpoint on the terrace level of the Washington Hilton around 8:40 p.m. on April 25 and ran through a magnetometer while holding a long gun. Secret Service personnel then heard a loud gunshot, and an officer was struck once in the chest.<\/p>\n<p>The affidavit states the wounded officer drew his service weapon and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/two-killed-after-shooting-wounding-police-officer-during-traffic-stop-in-san-antonio\/\" title=\"Two Killed After Shooting, Wounding Police Officer During Traffic Stop In San Antonio\">fired multiple times<\/a> at Allen, \u201cwho fell to the ground and suffered minor injuries but was not shot.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Authorities said Allen had traveled from California days before the attack, taking an <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/amtrak\/\">Amtrak<\/a> route that included a trip from Los Angeles to Chicago on April 21 before continuing on to Washington, D.C. He arrived in the nation\u2019s capital on April 24 at approximately 1 p.m. and checked into the Washington Hilton.<\/p>\n<p>Officials said Allen had made the hotel reservation earlier in April, after Trump publicly announced plans to attend the dinner in March, a timeline prosecutors say reflects premeditation.<\/p>\n<p>When Allen was arrested, he was carrying a 12-gauge pump-action shotgun and a Rock Island Armory 1911 .38-caliber pistol, and at least three knives, according to court records. <\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">NOW: First images of the firearms used by Cole Allen in the attempted assassination of President Trump on Saturday. <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/i2MIcAZmVb\">pic.twitter.com\/i2MIcAZmVb<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Kaelan Deese (@KaelanDC) <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/KaelanDC\/status\/2048845138881876256?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">April 27, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p> <script data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/cdn-cgi\/scripts\/5c5dd728\/cloudflare-static\/email-decode.min.js\"><\/script><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>    <\/p>\n<p>Federal firearm transaction data reviewed by investigators show he purchased the shotgun from a California dealer around Aug. 17, 2025, and the pistol from another dealer in the state on Oct. 6, 2023.<\/p>\n<p>Allen has been charged with <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/justice\/4544489\/cole-allen-faces-charges-attempt-to-assassinate-trump\/\">attempted assassination of the president<\/a>, interstate transportation of a firearm to commit a felony, and discharge of a firearm during a crime of violence. Blanche said the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/cole-allen-charged-with-attempting-to-assassinate-trump\/\" title=\"... with attempting to ...\">attempted assassination charge carries<\/a> up to life in prison, while the firearm discharge count carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years, up to life, consecutive to any other sentence.<\/p>\n<p>U.S. Attorney <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/jeanine-pirro\/\">Jeanine Pirro<\/a>, whose office is leading the case,\u00a0said the attack was deliberate and pointed to a manifesto in which Allen allegedly outlined plans to target Trump and other senior administration officials.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMake no mistake, this was an attempted assassination of the president of the United States,\u201d Pirro said, adding that the suspect \u201cmade clear what his intent was.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>FBI Director <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/kash-patel\/\">Kash Patel<\/a> said the bureau has recovered multiple electronic devices from Allen\u2019s hotel room and California residence and is continuing to analyze them as part of a nationwide investigation. He also confirmed that authorities are examining whether Allen had any connections to far-left groups or ideological influences.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes, we\u2019re investigating all potential connections,\u201d Patel said when asked about whether the FBI is looking into links between Allen and extreme groups.<\/p>\n<p>A <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2026\/04\/26\/us-news\/who-are-the-wide-awakes-leftist-group-whcd-gunman-cole-allen-was-supposedly-a-part-of\/\">report<\/a> by the <em>New York Post <\/em>over the weekend mentioned that Allen\u2019s sister told investigators that he professed to be part of a progressive activist network known as \u201cThe Wide Awakes,\u201d and that he also attended at least one anti-Trump No Kings protest since the president returned to the Oval Office last year.<\/p>\n<p><strong><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/justice\/4544489\/cole-allen-faces-charges-attempt-to-assassinate-trump\/\">COLE ALLEN CHARGED WITH ATTEMPTING TO ASSASSINATE TRUMP<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>In a statement to the <em>Daily Caller News Foundation<\/em>, a representative for the Wide Awakes said, \u201cWe do not know Allen he doesn\u2019t have a connection to us as far as anyone knows,\u201d and that Allen may have been involved in a February demonstration against Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Hudson, Wisconsin.<\/p>\n<p>Officials said the investigation remains ongoing as agents continue to interview witnesses and process evidence tied to the attack.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>An injured Secret Service officer fired five shots at a gunman suspected of attacking Trump<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2633,"featured_media":2595871,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/042726_WEX_DOJ-11-e1777324730739.jpg?w=696","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[34943,32319,34163],"class_list":["post-2595870","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-assassination-attempt","tag-donald-trump","tag-secret-service"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/042726_WEX_DOJ-11-e1777324730739.jpg?w=696","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2595870","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2633"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2595870"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2595870\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2595874,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2595870\/revisions\/2595874"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2595871"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2595870"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2595870"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2595870"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}