Cole Allen, White House Correspondents' Dinner Shooting Suspect, Removed From Suicide Watch in D.C. Jail
Cole Allen, the alleged White House Correspondents' Dinner shooter, has been moved off suicide watch at the Washington, D.C. jail where he is being held, according to court documents filed Sunday.
Allen's defense team withdrew an emergency motion seeking his removal from suicide precautions after learning the restrictions had already been lifted, CBS News reported. A Monday hearing on the issue was canceled. In the original motion, Allen's attorneys argued that holding their client under suicide watch violated his rights under the Due Process Clause.
Federal public defenders A.J. Kramer, Tezira Abe, and Eugene Ohm said Allen had not shown any signs of being suicidal. They said the Department of Corrections did not flag him as a suicide risk during booking. Despite that, Allen was placed in a padded "safe cell" with 24-hour monitoring and forced to wear a vest similar to a strait jacket. He was strip-searched every time he left or entered the cell.
"Continued housing under suicide precautions is unnecessary and violates Mr. Allen's due process rights by depriving him of dignity and access to resources inside the jail," the defense team wrote.
Magistrate Judge Zia M. Faruqui denied the motion to vacate Monday's hearing. He said the court has "grave concerns" about Allen's "seemingly unprompted solitary confinement for days and overall conditions of confinement."
Separately, U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro appeared on CNN's "State of the Union" Sunday with new evidence in the case. Pirro said new ballistics analysis shows the Secret Service agent struck during the April 25 incident was hit by a buckshot pellet from Allen's Mossberg 12-gauge shotgun. The findings put to rest speculation that the agent may have been hit by friendly fire.
As BET.com previously reported, six shots were fired at the dinner. One came from Allen and five came from the Secret Service officer who was struck. The agent was not seriously hurt because his bulletproof vest stopped the pellet.
Pirro told CNN prosecutors will bring the case before a grand jury this week. She suggested additional charges are coming. Allen has been charged with attempting to assassinate President Donald Trump and discharging a firearm during a crime of violence. He has not entered a plea and remains in custody. Allen is presumed innocent unless convicted in a court of law.