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DOJ drops key claim from criminal complaint against Cole Allen
The Department of Justice removed a key claim from its legal filings regarding the White House Correspondents' Dinner shooting, contradicting its initial probable cause affidavit.
The original weekend affidavit stated Secret Service Officer V.G. was shot in the chest and protected by a ballistic vest when Cole Allen allegedly fired at security checkpoint. However, Wednesday's memorandum supporting pretrial detention omitted any mention of the officer being shot, instead describing only that Allen fired a shotgun in the direction of the ballroom stairs and that an officer responded with five shots.
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche declined to confirm whether Allen shot the officer during a press conference, claiming ballistics analysis was ongoing.
Initial media reports indicated the officer was hit in the chest, with the vest preventing serious injury. The discrepancy raises questions about the accuracy of early accounts and the government's evolving narrative of the incident.
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