The Daily Fuckup

Federal prosecutors say the White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner shooting happened on April 25, 2026, and that the federal case followed two days later, when Cole Tomas Allen, 31, of Torrance, California, was arraigned in U.S. District Court on charges that include attempting to assassinate the president. The Justice Department also said Allen was charged with interstate transport of a firearm and ammunition with intent to commit a felony, and with discharging a firearm during a crime of violence.

In the criminal complaint, investigators say Allen traveled to Washington by train, checked into the Washington Hilton, and moved toward a security checkpoint on the Terrace Level near the ballroom before running through a magnetometer with a long gun. The filing says a Secret Service officer was shot once in the chest, fired back, and Allen was taken into custody at the scene. The officer was wearing a ballistic vest. The Justice Department says Allen later went to a hospital for minor injuries before being returned to law enforcement custody.

The complaint and affidavit lay out the government’s account, but they are not a conviction. Allen is presumed innocent unless and until the government proves the charges in court. The affidavit also says investigators reviewed an email Allen sent shortly before the shooting and firearm purchase records tied to weapons recovered after the arrest.

A separate FBI updates page says the bureau’s investigation into the April 25 shooting remains active. The page also points readers to the Justice Department’s April 27 charging document as the operative federal filing. For now, the public record shows a shooting at a high-profile political dinner, a fast-moving federal prosecution, and an investigation that is still open.