Washington media gala suspect slapped with additional charge for shooting officer

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WASHINGTON: A United States jury slapped the suspect in last month's media gala attack with an additional charge of allegedly shooting a Secret Service officer, the Department of Justice said on Tuesday (May 5).

The fourth charge - assaulting a federal officer with a deadly weapon - comes on top of three charges filed against Cole Tomas Allen, 31, when he appeared in court two days after the incident.

Over the weekend, Jeanine Pirro, the federal prosecutor overseeing the case, said this past weekend that investigators found "a pellet" from the ammunition in Allen's gun "intertwined with the fibre of the vest of the Secret Service officer".

The indictment, handed down by a federal grand jury on Tuesday, formally charges Allen with the assault on the officer.

Previously, Allen was charged with attempting to assassinate US President Donald Trump, transportation of a firearm and ammunition across state lines with intent to commit a felony, as well as using, carrying, brandishing and discharging a firearm during a crime of violence.

Allen, who did not enter a plea during his previous court appearance, faces a sentence of up to life in prison if convicted of trying to kill Trump during the dinner at a Washington hotel on Apr 25.

While security personnel fired multiple times at Allen, he was not shot, the Department of Justice reiterated in its announcement of the additional charge.

Instead, he suffered a minor knee injury after he "fell to the ground, was restrained by law enforcement, and was placed under arrest", the department said.

The annual dinner draws scores of Washington journalists, celebrities and entertainers.

Trump has traditionally boycotted the dinner but decided to attend this year. He was uninjured in the attempted attack and has called for the dinner to be rescheduled.

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