The United States Department of Justice released on Wednesday, the 29th, a new image of Cole Tomas Allen, who attempted to carry out a shooting during a dinner attended by the American president, Donald Trump, on the last Saturday, the 25th.
In the photo, Allen appears in a “selfie” taken in a mirror in what appears to be a hotel room, with several firearms beside his body, as well as a serrated knife and a bag of ammunition. Prosecutors from the Department of Justice highlighted the items.
In the document released by the Department of Justice, prosecutors state that Allen took the selfies around 8:03 p.m. local time. During the following half hour, he accessed various websites to follow coverage of the White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner and confirm whether Trump was present.
Subsequently, he descended the stairs toward the ballroom, where the dinner was taking place. He would have discarded a long black coat that concealed a pump-action shotgun. Then, he ran past a metal detector, holding the shotgun with both raised hands.
The shooter exchanged gunfire with authorities before being neutralized by the Secret Service. He did not enter the ballroom, according to authorities.
In a White House press briefing later that night, Trump said that a Secret Service agent had been shot, but was protected by a bulletproof vest. He was taken to a hospital, authorities said. There were no reports of other injuries, according to Markwayne Mullin, the Secretary of Homeland Security.
Allen is to be charged with attempted assassination of Trump, in addition to two other federal crimes related to the use of firearms. The information was conveyed by federal Judge Matthew J. Sharbaugh to the defendant on Monday, the 27th. The charge could result in a life sentence if convicted. The other charges weighing on Allen besides attempted assassination – transportation of a firearm across state lines with intent to commit a serious crime and firing a firearm during a violent crime – carry a maximum penalty of 10 years each.
Allen, from Torrance, a city in California, is described as a private tutor with a high level of schooling and an amateur video game developer.
Federal authorities are investigating a note attributed to him that suggests political motivation and outrage at government actions. The note also indicates that government officials were the main targets. “Government officials (excluding Patel): targets, ranked from highest to lowest priority,” the text reads, in apparent reference to the FBI director Kash Patel.
