A Secret Service officer was shot by a suspect's shotgun during an attempted assassination of President Donald Trump on April 26, 2026 [1].
The clarification addresses previous uncertainty regarding how the officer was injured during the chaos at the White House Correspondents' Dinner. Establishing that the suspect, not a fellow agent, caused the injury is critical for the ongoing criminal investigation and the security review of the event.
The incident occurred Saturday night at the Washington Hilton hotel in Washington, D.C. [2, 3]. According to law enforcement officials, the suspect, 31-year-old Cole Allen, opened fire during the event [4, 5].
Investigators believe Allen shot a Secret Service officer who was wearing a ballistics vest [6]. The protective gear is credited with mitigating the impact of the shotgun blast. The officer's identity has not been released to the public.
Earlier reports had suggested the possibility of friendly fire during the exchange. However, a federal source said, "The officer was not hit by friendly fire" [7].
The shooting took place in one of the most high-profile security environments in the U.S. capital. Secret Service agents worked to neutralize Allen after he attempted to target the president during the annual dinner [5, 6].
Allen now faces charges related to the attempted assassination. Investigators continue to analyze the timeline of the attack to determine how the suspect gained access to the Washington Hilton ballroom [2, 3].
“The officer was not hit by friendly fire.”
The confirmation that the injury was caused by the suspect rather than friendly fire simplifies the legal narrative for the prosecution of Cole Allen. It also underscores the operational necessity of ballistics vests for protective details, as the equipment likely prevented a more severe injury or fatality during the attack.
