Newly released surveillance footage shows an alleged gunman coolly scoping out the Washington Hilton one day… and then coming back locked, loaded, and ready to charge a Secret Service checkpoint the next. The target? An event attended by none other than Donald Trump.
The video, rolled out by U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro late Thursday, doesn’t just suggest premeditation—it screams it.
On April 24, suspect Cole Allen, 31, strolls through the Hilton like any other guest. No rush. No panic. Just another face in the D.C. crowd. He even pops into the gym, chats up an attendant, and drifts out. Nothing to see here—except, apparently, everything.
Fast forward to the next night. Timestamp: 8:23 p.m. Eastern. Showtime.
Today, we are releasing video already provided to U.S. District Court showing Cole Allen shoot a U.S. Secret Service officer during his attempt to assassinate the President at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner.
There is no evidence the shooting was the result of friendly… pic.twitter.com/a8gRXkW6BH
— US Attorney Pirro (@USAttyPirro) April 30, 2026
Allen reappears, this time in a long coat—because nothing says “blend in” like overdressing indoors. He retraces his steps with eerie precision, heading straight toward the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, where Trump was scheduled to speak. Then all hell breaks loose.
The footage jumps to a Secret Service checkpoint perched above the ballroom. A K-9 unit trails nearby. Officers are busy dismantling equipment. Then—movement. Allen bursts from a doorway and charges.
Within seconds, a Secret Service agent reacts, drawing his weapon and firing multiple shots as the suspect barrels past screening. Other agents snap into action, guns raised. It’s the kind of rapid-response moment that separates trained professionals from catastrophe.
Allen keeps moving—until he doesn’t. He’s eventually tackled, though the takedown itself isn’t shown in the footage.
Pirro commented when releasing the footage:
“Today, we are releasing video already provided to U.S. District Court showing Cole Allen shoot a U.S. Secret Service officer during his attempt to assassinate the President at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner.”
She added:
“There is no evidence the shooting was the result of friendly fire. The video also shows Allen casing the area in the Hilton Hotel the day before the attack. My office along with the @FBI will continue this extensive investigation to bring Cole Allen to justice.”
