A federal grand jury in Washington indicted the suspected shooter at last month's White House Correspondents’ Association dinner on four federal charges May 5, including attempting to assassinate the president.
Cole Tomas Allen, 31, the alleged gunman, also faces a charge of assaulting an officer of the United States with a deadly weapon and two firearms charges.
The officer assault charge was added for the first time, officially accusing Allen of shooting a Secret Service officer following an investigation into ballistic evidence from the shooting scene.
The weapons charges include transporting a firearm and ammunition with the intent to commit a felony; and using, carrying, brandishing, and discharging a firearm during a crime of violence.
Allen, from Torrance, Calif., was arrested after he ran through a security checkpoint at the Washington Hilton hotel on April 25 holding a 12-gauge pump action shotgun and carrying a loaded .38-caliber semi-automatic pistol.
President Donald Trump, First Lady Melania Trump, Vice President JD Vance, House Speaker Mike Johnson, and several members of the president’s cabinet had started eating dinner with members of the media in the ballroom about 40 minutes earlier.
Trump announced he would attend the dinner about seven weeks earlier, which was a tradition for presidents since the event’s origins under President Calvin Coolidge in 1924.
On April 6, Allen made a reservation at the hotel for three nights from April 24 to April 26, according to the court indictment.
Investigators allege Allen left Los Angeles by train on April 21 and stopped over in Chicago for a few hours before boarding another train for Washington, D.C.
After arriving, Allen allegedly checked into a hotel room at the Washington Hilton hotel at about 3 p.m., according to investigators.
At about 8:40 p.m., investigators claim Allen, who is shown on surveillance video captured in the lobby, approached and ran through the security magnetometer holding a gun.
A Secret Service officer was shot once in the chest during the event, but was wearing a ballistic vest. The officer drew his weapon and fired at Allen several times but didn’t hit him, according to the court report. Allen fell to the ground and suffered minor injuries.
Federal firearm transactions show the guns were purchased by dealers in California in 2023 and 2025.
Allen allegedly sent an email to family and a former employer explaining his actions and apologizing for “the trouble he caused.” In the letter, he appeared to indicate he was targeting administration officials and the president, along with Secret Service and any others who would get in the way, according to the court documents.
Investigators also claim Allen tracked Trump’s movements ahead of the dinner and scheduled to send the manifesto after the shootings.
Allen remained detained ahead of trial and has not yet entered a plea.
His attorney, A.J. Kramer, a federal public defender, asked the court for Allen to be released on bail on April 29, citing his clean record and college education, but dropped the request after prosecutors filed arguments for why he should remain in detention.
If convicted of attempting to assassinate Trump, Allen could face life in prison.
The case is overseen by Trump-appointed U.S. District Court Judge Trevor McFadden, who was randomly assigned.