Story perspectives

Shotgun Attack at Trump Dinner Leads to Arrest

4/30/2026

Summary

Story summary

Cole Allen rushed a Hilton checkpoint, fired a shotgun into the Correspondents' Dinner ballroom, and was subdued.
A Department of Justice (DOJ) memorandum released Wednesday shows Allen’s selfie with a shoulder holster, knife and tools taken minutes before the attack.
U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro asked Allen stay detained while he faces three counts, including attempted assassination of U.S. President Donald Trump.
Detention hearing is April 30 with preliminary hearing May 11.

History

Historical Context

In March 1981, John Hinckley Jr. fired six shots at President Ronald Reagan outside the Washington Hilton, wounding Reagan, press secretary James Brady and two officers. That attack spurred the Secret Service to tighten venue screening, a protocol now tested when Cole Allen brandished a shotgun at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner targeting President Donald Trump, prompting three federal charges and a new biometric-verification overhaul.

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Story summary

Cole Allen rushed a Hilton checkpoint, fired a shotgun into the Correspondents' Dinner ballroom, and was subdued.
A Department of Justice (DOJ) memorandum released Wednesday shows Allen’s selfie with a shoulder holster, knife and tools taken minutes before the attack.
U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro asked Allen stay detained while he faces three counts, including attempted assassination of U.S. President Donald Trump.
Detention hearing is April 30 with preliminary hearing May 11.

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