Cole Thomas Allen, 31, the suspect who carried out a shooting targeting the White House Correspondents' Association annual dinner attended by the president and a large number of top administration officials, appeared in U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C., on the 27th (local time) on a charge of attempted assassination of President Donald Trump.
Federal prosecutors on the 27th indicted Allen on three counts: attempted assassination of the president, transporting a firearm during the day for the purpose of committing a felony, and discharging a firearm during a crime of violence. Appearing in U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C., that day in a blue prison uniform, Allen spoke for the first time, briefly answering "No, your honor," when Magistrate Judge Matthew Szabo asked, "Is there any reason you might have difficulty understanding the proceedings?"
Prosecutors requested that the suspect be detained given the gravity of the case. The next hearing to decide detention and bail is set for the 30th. Experts predicted the chances of bail being granted are extremely low, saying the case has everything from motive and prior movements to a manifesto.
Josie Valentine, the prosecutor who delivered the government's statement in court, said Allen entered Washington, D.C., with a 12-gauge pump-action shotgun, a handgun, and two knives, with the "purpose of killing as many high-ranking officials as possible." Records showed all the weapons Allen had were purchased legally. The shotgun was bought at a California dealer in Aug. 2025, and the Rock Island Armory 1911 .38-caliber handgun was purchased at another dealer in Oct. 2023.
Janine Pirro, the U.S. attorney for Washington, D.C., who oversaw the indictment, held a separate news conference after the court proceedings and said, "This case is an attempted assassination of the president," adding, "The defendant made his intent clear, and that intent was to take down as many high-ranking officials as possible." Pirro said, "As the investigation progresses, there will be additional charges." It signaled prosecutors could dig deeper into premeditation, possible accomplices, and how the weapons were obtained. However, the charge of assaulting a federal employee that was included at the initial stage was dropped at formal indictment, indicating a restructuring of the charges.
An FBI affidavit released in court that day included minute-by-minute details suggesting Allen meticulously mapped out his movements in advance. Nineteen days before the crime, on Apr. 6, Allen booked a room at the Washington Hilton Hotel for three days, Friday through Sunday. From his home near Los Angeles, he left by train on Apr. 21, four days before the event, and arrived in Chicago two days later. He then left Chicago and entered Washington, D.C., at about 1 p.m. on Apr. 24, the day before the event.
Prosecutors said they believe Allen knew in advance the president would appear and planned his schedule accordingly, pointing to President Trump publicly indicating on Truth Social in March that he would attend the dinner. Including his first term, President Trump personally attended the White House press dinner for the first time while in office.
On Apr. 25, the day of the crime, hotel CCTV showed Allen, dressed in black, leaving his 10th-floor room around 8:30 p.m., carrying a shotgun, a handgun, and knives in a black bag as he went down. He bypassed the security checkpoint via an internal hotel stairwell and reached the red-carpet entrance leading to the banquet hall.
Video shows the first gunshot at around 8:34 p.m., after which Allen charged toward the metal detector with a shotgun. Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said, "It appears law enforcement fired five rounds." The number of rounds fired at the scene is assessed at 5–8. As for whether the bullet that struck a Secret Service agent was fired by Allen, he added, "We're trying to confirm exactly. Still under review." According to the affidavit, Allen himself "did not sustain a gunshot wound."
Just before the crime, at 8:40 p.m., Allen scheduled emails to be sent to family and a former employer. The attached document was titled "Apology and Explanation." The FBI said the body read, "I must have shocked many people today. I apologize for betraying your trust." He signed off as "Coldface, the kindly federal assassin Cole Allen." A handwritten statement released to the public also included his intent to target high-ranking officials in the Trump administration.
Investigators said Allen has been exercising his right to remain silent since his arrest. The FBI currently has additional handwritten documents secured from the hotel room and his home in Torrance, California, and is under investigation. However, what those documents contain was not included in the scope of the affidavit released this time.