A shocking escalation has emerged in the investigation into last weekend’s violent attack near the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, where federal prosecutors now say a Secret Service agent was “definitively” struck by buckshot fired from a Mossberg pump action shotgun during what authorities describe as an attempted assassination plot against President Donald Trump.

The revelation adds new gravity to an already high stakes case, as investigators piece together surveillance video, audio evidence, and forensic findings that prosecutors say directly link the suspect’s weapon to the injury sustained by a protective services officer.

Key Forensic Breakthrough

US Attorney Jeanine Pirro revealed Sunday that investigators have traced physical evidence from the shotgun blast directly to the agent’s protective vest.

“We now can establish that a pellet that came from the buckshot, from the defendant’s Mossberg pump action shotgun, was intertwined with the fiber of the vest of the Secret Service officer,” Pirro told CNN’s Jake Tapper on “State of the Union.”

Pirro left no ambiguity about the significance of the finding.

“It is definitively his bullet,” she added.

The suspect, identified as Cole Tomas Allen, is facing multiple federal charges filed by Pirro’s Washington, DC, US attorney’s office following the attack.

Conflicting Video and Gunfire Analysis

A CNN review of hotel surveillance footage released by prosecutors, along with audio recorded inside the ballroom during the incident, has not definitively confirmed the exact moment Allen fired. However, analysts identified six total gunshots.

That finding aligns with initial law enforcement reports indicating that Allen fired one shot, while a responding officer discharged five additional rounds during the confrontation.

Prosecutors say more evidence is on the way.

Pirro confirmed that additional surveillance footage will be made public.

“will be released.”

She also detailed Allen’s movements in the critical moments before the attack, describing how he moved through a security checkpoint and into a restricted area.

In the footage, a law enforcement K-9 unit and handler inspect a doorway Allen entered. The dog briefly goes inside, though officials have not confirmed what was detected.

Pirro said Allen used the moment to change his appearance and conceal his weapon.

“He goes into that room to take off a long coat that he has on,” Pirro told Tapper, reiterating, “He’s wearing a long, dark coat because he has to hide the Mossberg pump action shotgun.”

She confirmed the dog involved was a bomb detection K-9.

Former US Secret Service agent and CNN contributor Jonathan Wackrow said the animal’s role was limited in scope.

“These dogs are deployed mission-specific. The mission here was to find high-order explosives or explosive devices that could hurt the general public or the president, not to find ammunition,” he said.

Charges Could Expand as Grand Jury Reviews Case

Allen currently faces an initial charge of discharging a firearm during a crime of violence, but federal officials warn the case is still evolving.

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said additional charges remain possible as the investigation continues.

“There’s initial charges and there’s an investigation, and to the extent that the government learns more things, I assure you they will, they will become charges,” he said Sunday on NBC’s “Meet the Press.”

A preliminary grand jury hearing is scheduled for Friday, Pirro confirmed.

Target: President Trump

While investigators say an alleged manifesto written by Allen does not explicitly name President Trump, prosecutors insist the evidence of intent is overwhelming.

Pirro said her office considers Trump the central target of the alleged plot.

She cited digital activity and behavioral tracking leading up to the attack.

The suspect allegedly searched details such as whether the president had arrived, when he would sit down, and when dinner service would begin.

“We have a lot of evidence that indicates his intent and the fact that everything that he did thereafter … following what the president was doing, where he was going to the day of the event at the hotel, asking on his phone, ‘Is the president in the ballroom yet? Has the president sat down yet? What time will dinner be served?’” she said.

Pirro was blunt about the conclusion investigators are drawing.

“This is clearly — the president is a target. And make no mistake, it is not just the manifesto, it is his actions.”

Mental State Questioned by Prosecutors

Pirro also rejected any suggestion that Allen may have been mentally unstable, instead portraying him as calculating and deliberate.

“far from insane — he is brilliant. … This is a guy who had no psychotic break.”

She further dismissed any expectation that she should step aside from the case, despite her role in the Trump administration and claims she could have been a potential target.

“Absolutely not. … My ability to prosecute this case has nothing to do with my being there,”

The case is expected to intensify in the coming days as federal prosecutors prepare for the grand jury phase and the possible expansion of charges tied to one of the most closely watched political security incidents in recent years.