Secret Service Director Sean Curran said on Thursday that an agent at the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner last weekend was not shot by friendly fire in the attack.
Rather, Curran said the agent was shot at “point-blank range” with a shotgun held by Cole Allen, 31. The statement contradicts reports that suggested another law enforcement officer shot the agent as Allen rushed past the security checkpoint toward the Washington Hilton ballroom.
The agent fired five rounds, according to the Secret Service director. Allen was never hit.
Curran addressed critics who questioned how the agent managed to fire so many bullets without wounding the suspect.
“That officer, while being shot, was in the process of falling down and was returning gunfire,” he said on Fox News’s The Will Cain Show. “To be shot at is not a pleasant thing, and to be able to actually return fire at that rate of speed is just remarkable.”
Amid the chaos at that moment, the suspect hit his knee on a magnetometer and fell to the ground. Shortly thereafter, law enforcement subdued the suspect, who was equipped with a shotgun, a pistol, knives, and a tactical vest.
The White House press gala was attended by President Donald Trump, first lady Melania Trump, several Cabinet officials, and numerous members of Congress. It’s believed Allen intended to target Trump, and he was charged accordingly.
Curran thanked Trump for checking up on the wounded Secret Service agent that night.
“He took a moment to call our officer that was shot, and as always, a class act — and very grateful that he took the time to do that,” the agency head said.
U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro and Trump also confirmed the agent was not struck by friendly fire.
Pirro released a video showing the gunfire exchanged between Allen and the Secret Service agent. When the footage is slowed down, the agent is seen firing four rounds after Allen fired one. The rest of the video shows Allen surveying the hotel the night before the attack.
In the Oval Office on Thursday, Trump told reporters that “it wasn’t us” who shot the agent. In a moment of levity, Trump joked he may not wear a bulletproof vest because he would look “heavier.”
“I don’t know if I can handle looking 20 pounds heavier,” he said in response to a question. “I haven’t asked about that. I guess it’s something you consider. In one way, you don’t like to do it because you’re giving in to a bad element.”
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Speaking on air, Curran declined to discuss specific talks about a bulletproof vest for the president.
A court document filed by the federal government on Wednesday did not specifically reference the Secret Service agent getting shot in the chest by Allen, fueling the narrative that friendly fire may have been at play during the incident. The agent, protected by his body armor, was sent to a hospital.