The legal team representing Cole Allen, the individual accused in the White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner shooting, has decided to retract their request to have him removed from suicide watch. This decision came after discovering that the restriction had already been lifted, rendering their initial motion irrelevant and prompting them to request the court cancel Monday’s hearing.
Allen’s lawyers, in their recent court filing, mentioned that they were informed of his removal from suicide watch at the D.C. Jail, making their previous request unnecessary. As a result, they have asked for the May 4 hearing to be vacated.
Despite the defense’s request to cancel Monday’s hearing, it is still on the schedule, awaiting a judge’s decision to confirm its status.
Being on suicide watch involves a 24-hour lockdown in a “safe cell.”
An image of Cole Allen in a hotel room prior to the alleged assassination attempt during the White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner was shared by the Justice Department.
Before these latest developments, Allen’s attorneys had claimed that the suicide watch restrictions were a violation of his rights.
“Such restrictions deprive Mr. Allen from accessing resources like a jail tablet, which would permit him to communicate with loved ones outside of the jail,” the defense motion states. “Similarly, because Mr. Allen is not permitted to retain personal items while in the cell, it is counsel’s understanding that he cannot review documents that counsel leave with him, thus hindering his ability to assist in his own defense.”
The defense argued in the motion that being kept on the suicide precaution “is unnecessary” and violates Allen’s due process rights “by depriving him of dignity” by forcing him to be escorted to the shower, strip searched when leaving or entering his cell, and required to wear a padded vest while in the cell.
Law enforcement personnel detain Cole Tomas Allen, a suspect in the shooting at the White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner in Washington, D.C., on April 25, 2026. (Donald J Trump via Truth Social/Handout via Reuters)
U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro told CNN on Sunday that prosecutors would bring the case before a grand jury this week and suggested they’re working toward securing an indictment with additional charges.
Allen, a 31-year-old California computer scientist, is accused of opening fire at the White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner on April 25 after allegedly rushing a Secret Service checkpoint while armed with multiple weapons.
Cole Allen wearing a graduation gown after obtaining his master’s degree in 2025, left. A Secret Service agent fires at Cole Allen, suspected in the assassination attempt of President Donald Trump on Saturday, April 25, 2026. (Cole Allen/LinkedIn; Obtained by The Washington Post)
Allen now faces federal charges, including the attempted assassination of the president, with more expected.
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