Tipsheet

Friendly Fire? Who Shot the Secret Service Officer During the WHCA Dinner?

Matt Vespa
Matt Vespa  |  April 28, 2026 7:00 AM

It’s great news that the Secret Service agent who was shot during the White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner was saved by his bulletproof vest. President Trump called him; he’s in good spirits. How did it happen? Did Cole Allen, the shooter and possible Trump assassin, get off some rounds? Was this a friendly fire incident? The truth is, we don’t know yet. What we do know is that while Trump and his staff are praising the Secret Service, Allen should never have been able to get that far inside the Washington Hilton. 

Sure, he was a hotel guest who traveled cross-country to carry out this attack and was stopped before he could enter the ballroom, but attendees noted the lack of security, which only extended to the outside of the venue, not the hotel itself. Hotel guests' luggage was not being checked. 

The Justice Department press conference yesterday didn’t go into detail, though they added that the matter is under investigation. Gunfire was exchanged, but Allen was not hit before being apprehended by federal agents. RealClearPolitics’ Susan Crabtree, who has a pulse on the Secret Service, tried to get answers immediately after the shooting. There’s reportedly a gag order. Another detail that was disconcerting is that Allen was only stopped from entering the ballroom because he tripped:

I just asked the Secret Service about the possibility that the UD officer was hit by another Secret Service officer or agent based on the analysis of the video below. 

I'm told there's a gag order on the entire Secret Service over what exactly occurred last night in terms of who shot whom. 

Sources in the Secret Service community are raising friendly fire questions based on a joint analysis of the below video, which they shared with me: 

Analysis: 

Video shows officer in suit (upper right) looking in opposite direction (allegedly distracted by a female walking by). There are 2 UD officers in uniform deeply engrossed in conversation (lower left). All three USSS are totally oblivious to gunman running towards them at the checkpoint with weapon in hand. A UD officer in uniform (lower left) pivots while stepping back with handgun drawn and fires at the gunman running through the checkpoint (in direct line of fire of the male UD in suit). UD in suit gets hit by shot fired at gunman by UD in uniform, and he hunches over but still remains standing while stepping back and pulling his handgun to also fire at perp running through the checkpoint. Then u see 3-4 USSS firing at the gunman from behind as gunman is running away. Yet no one shot hits the gunman."

These incidents—friendly fire—tragically happen. I’m more concerned about the reported internal drama that’s engulfed the Secret Service.