White House shooting suspect accused of trying to assassinate Trump complains prison conditions are a breach of his rights
The suspect, who allegedly opened fire at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, complained that prison conditions were a violation of his rights.
Cole Tomas Allen, 31, asked a judge to lift suicide precautions in his Washington, D.C. prison cell, which was equipped with additional security features to monitor the alleged assassin.
At the time Allen was booked into jail Monday, Department of Corrections staff did not indicate any security risks in his booking documents, his attorneys said in new court filings.
They said the prison was still making progress in placing him in a suicide-proof ‘secure cell’, which included 24-hour isolation measures.
The cell is also equipped with padded walls, and Allen is strip-searched when he enters or leaves the room and is also made to wear a ‘straitjacket-like’ vest.
Allen’s attorneys said he was recommended to remain on suicide watch, even though a second evaluation on Tuesday again found no suicide risk.
They said a nurse concluded Friday that he no longer needed to remain on suicide watch, but Allen had not yet been downgraded to lower security status.
Prosecutors say Allen tried to attack the event on Saturday, when President Trump and some senior cabinet officials attended a news conference at the Hilton Hotel in Washington, D.C.
Cole Allen, 31, who allegedly opened fire targeting President Trump at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, complained that prison conditions under ‘suicide watch’ were a violation of his rights.
In a court sketch of Allen’s first appearance on April 27, he is seen standing emotionless as he faces major federal charges, including the attempted assassination of President Trump. This charge carries a maximum sentence of life imprisonment
Allen made his first court appearance on April 27, where he remained emotionless as he faced major federal charges, including the attempted assassination of President Trump. This charge carries a maximum sentence of life imprisonment.
The Justice Department charged Allen, 31, with attempting to storm the dinner and target Trump and administration officials by passing through a Secret Service checkpoint armed with a shotgun, handgun and knives.
The footage shows the alleged gunman running toward agents and trying to enter the room, moments before the president and first lady Melania Trump were hastily evacuated from the event.
Allen allegedly exchanged gunfire with the Secret Service and a Secret Service agent was shot in the chest but was saved by a ballistic vest and escaped with only minor injuries.
Cole was ‘taken to the ground’ and handcuffed by law enforcement officers after he allegedly opened fire in the lobby of the Washington Hilton on Saturday evening and breached a security checkpoint.
Allen, center right, from California, is pictured with his family at his graduation in 2025
Allen allegedly smuggled a shotgun into the Hilton Hotel where the White House Correspondents’ Dinner was held.
The suspect also faces a second charge of carrying a firearm in interstate commerce with intent to commit a crime.
The third charge, use of a firearm during a violent crime, carries a minimum sentence of 10 years in prison, as well as the possibility of life in prison if prosecutors prove the gun was fired.
Although Allen was quickly subdued and did not enter the large dining hall, many in attendance were concerned about how an armed man was able to enter the building, especially after two previous assassination attempts on the President’s life.
Prosecutors said Allen was able to sneak into the hotel a variety of weapons, including a Mossberg Maverick 12-gauge shotgun and hunting knives, for the alleged assassination attempt.
He avoided the hotel’s highly monitored corridors by passing through an interior staircase that was not monitored as closely as the corridors and elevators.
PICTURE: Cole Allen photographed after being detained by the Secret Service at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner on Saturday evening
After running down the stairwell about 10 floors, the gunman emerged on a lower level, near the initial screening area where magnetometers and the Secret Service were stationed.
Allen was laid to the ground after an exchange of gunfire, and footage showed him lying topless on the ground as he was taken into custody on Saturday night.
According to a memo he sent to family members moments before his planned attack, Allen was trying to eliminate the President and members of his inner circle.
Allen’s manifesto reportedly reads: ‘Turning the other cheek is for when you’re under pressure yourself. I am not someone who was raped in a detention camp. ‘I am not a fisherman who was executed without trial.’
