A photo of the shotgun allegedly brandished by Cole Tomas Allen at the Washington Hilton in an assassination attempt on US President Donald Trump and other top leaders has surfaced online.
The weapon was identified as a Mossberg Maverick 12-gauge shotgun. He purchased the pump-action shotgun from Turner’s Outdoorsman in Torrance, California, in August 2025, according to sources quoted by the New York Post.
Why did Cole Tomas Allen use a Mossberg Maverick 12-gauge?
The Mossberg Maverick 12-gauge is easier to conceal because it has a folding stock. Allen’s weapon also reportedly featured a pistol grip and an extended magazine tube.
Allen also bought an Armscor semi-automatic pistol from CAP Tactical Firearms in Lawndale, California, in October 2023. The weapons were stored at his parents’ house in Torrance. He regularly trained with the weapons at a shooting range.
The charges against Allen include using a firearm during a crime of violence and assault on a federal officer with a dangerous weapon.
Allen tried to rush past the security perimeter inside the Washington Hilton hotel, where Trump was about to address the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner. Armed with multiple weapons, including knives, he fired shots outside the ballroom of the hotel.
Secret Service officials and other security personnel immediately covered the President, First Lady Melania Trump, Vice President JD Vance, and the Second Lady Usha Vance, who were seated at the head table, and escorted them out of the ballroom.
This was not the first assassination attempt against Trump. He has survived two attempts on his life over the past two years. The first was at a presidential campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on July 13, 2024, and the second in Palm Beach, Florida, on September 15, 2024.
