Wounded Secret Service agent fired at Cole Allen five times — as WHCD shooting suspect makes defiant court appearance

WASHINGTON — The suspected White House Correspondents Dinner shooter Cole Allen was defiant at his first court appearance Monday on charges he tried to assassinate President Trump — as officials revealed the Secret Service fired at him five times before taking him down.

The 31-year-old accused madman spoke loudly and confidently answering a judge’s questions in federal court in Washington, DC, as he was hit with the charges of attempted assassination of the president, transportation of a firearm across state lines to commit a felony and discharging a gun.

He faces life in prison if convicted of the top charge.

At a press conference after the hearing, Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche detailed allegations that Allen opened fire on a Secret Service agent — striking him in the bullet-proof vest — before the agent returned fire with five shots.

“This heroic officer, who was hit, fired five times at Allen, who was not shot, but fell to the ground and was promptly arrested,” Blanche said.

DC US Attorney Jeanine Pirro — whose office is prosecuting Allen — said that his manifesto made clear he wanted to kill Trump, and any other official he could.

“There will be additional charges as this investigation continues to unfold,” Pirro said. 

“But make no mistake, this was an attempted assassination of the president of the United States, with the defendant making clear what his intent was, and that intent was to bring down as many of the high-ranking cabinet officials as he could.”

At the hearing, prosecutor Jocelyn Ballantine said Allen traveled across state boundaries “carrying a 12-gauge pump-action shotgun,” along with a “.38-caliber semi automatic pistol and three knives.”

Allen will remain behind bars until a bail hearing Thursday.

Allen hasn’t entered a plea yet since he’s currently facing a criminal complaint rather than an indictment — which he’s likely to be charged with down the road.

Blanche laid out a timeline of Allen’s movements, detailing how he traveled for three days by train from his home in Torrance, Calif., to DC, via Chicago before checking into the  Washington Hilton the day before the White House Correspondents’ Dinner after booking a room there.

The next night, Allen attempted to get into the correspondents dinner through a security checkpoint a floor above the ballroom where the event was taking place, Blanche said.

“He ran through the magnetometer, holding a long gun. As he did so, US Secret Service personnel assigned to the checkpoint heard a loud gunshot,” Blanche said. “One Secret Service officer was shot in the chest, but was wearing a ballistic vest that worked.”

FBI Director Kash Patel at the news conference touted the agency’s quick response and transparency with the public.

“You know almost every single thing we know,” Patel said.

Allen allegedly sent an unhinged anti-President Trump manifesto to his family 10 minutes before he unleashed his fury — the letter so alarming that it prompted his brother to call the New London, Conn., police.

Referring to himself as the “Friendly Federal Assassin,” Allen wrote he was targeting top officials in the Republican administration — though he specified he didn’t want to kill FBI Director Kash Patel or other members of law enforcement.

In addition to the political rant, Allen also bashed the “insane” lack of security at the hotel — where he was able to waltz with weapons that went undetected.

Allen is allegedly part of a group called “The Wide Awakes” — a revival of a youth organization from the Civil War-era that adopted the stance of the Republican Party of the time, including opposing slavery.

Blanche at the press conference said the Department of Justice was investigating the group.

Allen — who graduated from Caltech with a degree in engineering and a master’s in computer science — worked for tutoring and test prep company C2 Education and had been named “Teacher of the Month,” in December 2024.

Read more: WHCD shooting suspect Cole Allen charged with trying to assassinate President Trump