Story perspectives

Officer Survives Shot, Suspect Charged with Trump Assassination Attempt

5/5/2026

Summary

Story summary

FBI video shows the gunman sprinting through a checkpoint, pointing a shotgun at a Secret Service officer before the officer opened fire.
Jeanine Pirro confirmed a pellet lodged in officer’s vest, proving the shot came from the suspect and that the vest saved his life.
Federal prosecutors have charged Cole Tomas Allen with attempted assassination of President Donald Trump, firearm transport and discharge during a crime, offenses carrying life imprisonment.

History

Historical Context

On March 30, 1981, John Hinckley Jr. fired six shots at President Ronald Reagan outside the Washington Hilton, wounding the president, press secretary James Brady and others. Secret Service Agent Jerry Parr’s quick action and a bullet-proof vest that stopped a round highlighted vulnerabilities in presidential protection. The incident spurred the Brady Campaign and the 1993 Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act, shaping stricter firearm-transport policies.

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Story summary

FBI video shows the gunman sprinting through a checkpoint, pointing a shotgun at a Secret Service officer before the officer opened fire.
Jeanine Pirro confirmed a pellet lodged in officer’s vest, proving the shot came from the suspect and that the vest saved his life.
Federal prosecutors have charged Cole Tomas Allen with attempted assassination of President Donald Trump, firearm transport and discharge during a crime, offenses carrying life imprisonment.

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