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The government is asking the court to detain White House Correspondents' Association Dinner shooting suspect Cole Allen pending trial, according to court documents filed Wednesday.
D.C. U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro filed a memorandum making the request and included a new photo of Allen with his weapons that officials say he took shortly before the attack Saturday night.
"At approximately 8:03 p.m., while back inside his hotel room, the defendant used his cellphone to take a photograph of himself in the mirror," the memorandum states, pointing out items including a gun holster, sheathed knife, and ammunition bag in the photo. He wore a black dress shirt, black slacks, and bright red tie.
About half an hour later, authorities say, the suspect sprinted past the magnetometers and fired a shotgun blast before falling down and being restrained by officers.
A Justice Department court filing includes images of a selfie Cole Allen allegedly took in his hotel room shortly before the White House Correspondents' Dinner shooting on April 25, 2026. (Evidence markers added by DOJ.)
U.S. Department of Justice
The memorandum provided more details about Allen's actions in the weeks and days leading up to the dinner, alleging that Allen's attack involved "extensive planning and preparation" dating back to at least April 6, when he searched on his phone for "white house correspondents dinner 2026." Hours later, Allen booked a two-night stay at the Washington Hilton, the memorandum said, and on April 16, Allen again searched for articles on the dinner, including the event's host, schedule and expected attendees.
According to prosecutors, on the day of the dinner, Allen left his hotel room multiple times. Around 6:26 p.m., he allegedly used his phone to check the president's schedule on a site called CivicTracker. At 8:03 p.m., he took the selfie in the mirror, and about 10 minutes later, he visited the CivicTracker webpage again, according to the memorandum. He exited the hotel room around 8:15 p.m.
Minutes before the alleged attack, prosecutors said, Allen looked at a media outlet's video called "WATCH LIVE: President Trump, first lady en route to White House Correspondents' Dinner" on his phone. He then visited a website with live coverage of President Trump exiting his car for the dinner, followed by a web search for "trump white house correspondents dinner." Around 8:30 p.m., prescheduled emails went to Allen's friends and family with "Apology and Explanation" in the subject line.
"Shortly thereafter, the defendant rushed the screening checkpoint on the Terrace Level of the Washington Hilton with a raised shotgun," wrote the prosecution, discarding a black coat under which he had concealed a 12-gauge pump-action shotgun. He sprinted through a magnetometer and ran toward the stairs to the ballroom, shotgun in his hands.
Prosecutors said that six shots were fired — one by Allen, who allegedly fired his shotgun in the direction of the stairs leading down to the ballroom. Then, a Secret Service officer drew his service weapon and fired five times at Allen. Allen fell, injuring his knee, but he had not been shot. He was restrained by law enforcement and arrested.
"At the time of his arrest, the defendant was in possession of a Mossberg 12-gauge pump action shotgun with one spent cartridge in the barrel and eight unfired cartridges in the magazine tube," the filing said.
Allen was charged Monday in federal court with three counts, including attempting to assassinate the president. The other two charges involved the use and transport of firearms.
The memorandum noted that Allen, if convicted, faces a possible maximum life sentence in prison.
"The defendant's actions were premeditated, violent, and calculated to cause death," the memorandum said. "Considering the relevant statutory factors, there is no condition or combination of conditions that will reasonably assure the safety of other people or the community if the defendant were released from custody. The Court should detain the defendant pending trial."
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