The friendly fire theory just got buried — on video.
For days, questions swirled about whether a Secret Service agent wounded at the White House Correspondents' Dinner had actually been hit by fellow agents in the chaos. U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro put that narrative to rest Thursday night.
Pirro released new, high-quality security video from the Washington Hilton Hotel showing 31-year-old Cole Allen charging through a Secret Service checkpoint during the April 25 dinner, where President Trump was scheduled to speak. The footage, she noted, had already been submitted to U.S. District Court.
"Today, we are releasing video already provided to U.S. District Court showing Cole Allen shoot a U.S. Secret Service officer during his attempt to assassinate the President at the White House Correspondents' Dinner," Pirro said in her X post. "There is no evidence the shooting was the result of friendly fire."
Today, we are releasing video already provided to U.S. District Court showing Cole Allen shoot a U.S. Secret Service officer during his attempt to assassinate the President at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner.
— US Attorney Pirro (@USAttyPirro) April 30, 2026
There is no evidence the shooting was the result of friendly… pic.twitter.com/a8gRXkW6BH
The new video is a significant upgrade from the grainy footage that circulated in the immediate aftermath of the shooting. When slowed to 35% speed, it captures something the earlier clips couldn't clearly show — Allen, armed with a 12-gauge pump-action shotgun, opening fire at close range on a Secret Service agent as he blows past the magnetometer. Multiple agents return fire almost simultaneously. The wounded agent took buckshot to the chest but was protected by his bulletproof vest.
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The video also includes footage from the day before the attack. Allen can be seen walking the same corridor where the shooting would later occur, stopping in the hotel gym to chat with an attendant, and studying the layout. Prosecutors say this is part of a weeks-long pattern of deliberate planning — Allen allegedly researched the event, booked his hotel room nearly a month out, tracked Trump's schedule in real time on the day of the attack, and even watched a live broadcast of the president's arrival moments before making his move.
🚨 JUST IN: The Secret Service agent who was shot at the WHCA Dinner was NOT struck by friendly fire, per Fox
— Nick Sortor (@nicksortor) April 30, 2026
The agent was struck by buckshot fired from Cole Allen's shotgun, @willcain reports
Lots of rumors have been swirling around this. pic.twitter.com/iQBKl9yFmq
NBC News has more:
Investigators believe the man charged with the attempted assassination of President Donald Trump shot a Secret Service officer who was wearing a ballistic vest, according to three law enforcement officials familiar with the case.
Investigators have determined that the Secret Service Uniformed Division officer was not struck by friendly fire from another member of law enforcement, the sources told NBC News on Wednesday.
[…]
The officer, who was taken to a hospital, was released over the weekend.
Allen was charged with discharging a weapon but has not been formally accused of assaulting a federal officer.
A law enforcement source said work continues analyzing Allen’s devices, including desktop and laptop computers from his California home, as well as his phone, a laptop and hard drives recovered from his guest room at the Washington Hilton hotel.
While Allen already faces federal charges of attempted assassination, prosecutors have signaled that additional charges may follow as the investigation continues.
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