The federal agent injured in the attack at the White House Correspondents' Association dinner was not hit by friendly fire, U.S. President Donald Trump and the Secret Service Director said on Thursday (30 April).
U.S. Secret Service Director Sean Curran said in a Thursday Fox News interview that one agent was shot at "point blank range" by the suspect as he ran through the security checkpoint near the White House Correspondents' Dinner on Saturday.
"Our officer heroically returned fire," Curran said on The Will Cain Show, adding the agent fired five times.
The suspect was not hit by the agent's return fire, Curran explained, but fell to the ground after hitting his knee.
He was then subdued by other federal agents near the top of the stairs, Curran added, which led to the ballroom where Trump, the first lady, top administration officials and hundreds of others dined.
The armed assailant, Cole Tomas Allen, 31, sprinted through a security checkpoint at the Washington Hilton hotel attempting, prosecutors allege, to assassinate Trump, according to officials.
Curran's comments differ from court papers filed on Wednesday by prosecutors about the sequence of events.
In the filings, prosecutors referred to an officer firing five times, but the document does not mention that officer or any other being shot.
The Wednesday document also did not accuse Allen of aiming at or striking the Secret Service officer.
There has also been media reporting suggesting the agent may have been shot by friendly fire.
"They said it wasn't friendly fire. It wasn't us," Trump told reporters in the Oval Office on Thursday.
Curran defended the security protocols at the Saturday dinner location. "The site was set up perfectly, I will tell you I would not change the site again," Curran added.
When asked if there was consideration for the President to wear a bulletproof vest, Donald Trump did not appear to be keen. "I don't know if I can handle looking 20 pounds heavier," he said.
The incident, the latest in a pattern of political violence in the United States, has revived concerns about the safety of the U.S. president and other top officials.
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