Cole Tomas Allen charged with attempted presidential assassination after opening fire at White House Correspondents' Dinner

Court filings released Wednesday revealed new details about the events immediately before the shooting. At approximately 8:03 p.m., Allen used his cellphone to photograph himself in his hotel room mirror, dressed in black pants, a black shirt, and a red tie, and visibly outfitted with an ammunition bag, a shoulder gun holster, a sheathed knife, and pliers and wire cutters, according to prosecutors. All of those items were later recovered from his person.

Investigators described a pattern of advance planning stretching back weeks. Allen reserved a room at the Washington Hilton on April 6, more than two weeks before the event, under what authorities described as the hotel's typical tight security arrangements. He then traveled cross-country by train from California, checking into the hotel the day before the dinner. On the night of the event, authorities said, he repeatedly checked online sources tracking Trump's movements, including live coverage of the president arriving at the hotel.

Preset emails with an "Apology and Explanation" attachment were sent at approximately 8:30 p.m. that night, according to the FBI affidavit. Allen then attempted to race past security barricades near the ballroom, firing his shotgun as he tried to breach the perimeter. He was taken into custody at the scene.