Cole Tomas Allen, 31, allegedly tried to assassinate President Donald Trump at a press gala at the Washington Hilton on May 2, and investigators say he was armed with a semi-automatic handgun, a pump-action shotgun and three knives. [1]
A Secret Service officer fired five times at Allen as he charged but did not hit him, according to the account in the court record. [1] Trump and other officials said the officer was shot and survived because of a bulletproof vest, and Trump said, "The agent was shot from very close distance with a very powerful gun." [1]
Court documents do not explicitly say Allen shot the officer, and that point remains disputed. [1] Acting US Attorney General Todd Blanche first told CBS News that the officer was shot and later stepped back from that claim at a news conference on May 4. [1]
Blanche had said, "That's what we understand as of now," before retreating from that stance, while the case file also leaves open whether the suspect fired the round that struck the officer. [1] The conflicting accounts have left the shooting at the center of a continuing federal investigation. [1]
Trump publicly said on May 3 that the officer was shot at close range, and Blanche repeated that view that same day on CBS News. [1] By the next day, Blanche had retracted his earlier statement, widening the gap between officials' public remarks and the court filing. [1]
The case remains active, with the latest public shift coming at Blanche's May 4 news conference. [1]
