Federal prosecutors released a video on Thursday showing the moment an armed man allegedly tried to storm the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner to try to kill US President Donald Trump.
Jeanine Pirro, the US attorney for Washington, posted the video on social media amid speculation that a Secret Service officer was killed in friendly fire as the suspect attempted to sneak past agents.
“There is no evidence that the shooting was the result of friendly fire,” he wrote.
Prosecutors previously claimed the agent was shot in his bullet-resistant vest, but they did not confirm whether the bullet came from the suspect’s gun.
Trump, Pirro, Curran deny friendly fire
Secret Service Director Sean Curran claimed that the agent was shot at “point-blank range” by the suspect as he was fleeing a security checkpoint near the diner.
“Our officer responded heroically to the shooting,” Curran said in an interview on Fox News. He said the agent fired five times.
Trump also denied that the agent was accidentally shot by other officers. “They said it was not friendly fire. It was not us,” he told reporters in the Oval Office on Thursday.
An investigation concluded that the Secret Service agent was not hit by friendly fire, news agency Reuters reported, citing a US law enforcement official.
What does the footage show?
The nearly six-minute video released by Pirro shows about a dozen federal officers removing metal detectors at a security checkpoint and casually standing by as the suspect is seen running away with a long gun in his hands.
In the footage, the suspect is seen pointing his weapon at the said agent as he ran away. However, it was not immediately clear whether the suspect opened fire at that time.
The gunman emerged from a door before moving toward the officers, most of whom had not noticed him.
Only one agent, who was said to have been shot by the suspect, drew his weapon before the armed man passed them.
The video shows the agent shooting the suspect at least three times, though authorities say the gunman was not hit during the attack.
The footage also shows the suspect “circling the area” as he walked back and forth in the hallway of the Washington Hilton hotel the day before the gala dinner. He also entered the hotel gym for some time.
In the Fox News interview, Curran said it was only 355 feet from the metal detectors to the podium where Trump was sitting.
the suspect remains in custody
The 31-year-old suspect was tackled and detained in a chaotic clash with security guards, who was not visible in footage released on Thursday.
Earlier this week, he was charged with attempting to assassinate the US President and could face life in prison if found guilty.
The suspect agreed Thursday to remain in custody pending further investigation of his case.
His lawyer Tejira Abe said during a court hearing that he would not immediately oppose prosecutors’ argument that he is a danger to the community and should remain in jail.
Edited by: Zack Crellin