New York Times visual investigation of FBI-released footage confirms the suspect in the White House Correspondents' Dinner assassination attempt fired first at a Secret Service officer before the officer returned fire. Cole Tomas Allen, 31, faces charges including attempted assassination stemming from the April 25 incident.

The analysis synchronized high-quality security video with audio from another camera, capturing key evidence including dust disturbance in ceiling lights and officers' reactions. Gunfire acoustics expert Rob Maher detected audio spikes corresponding to six shots, with the first blast "quite a bit louder" than subsequent ones.

Public defenders had argued lower-quality footage showed no muzzle flash, suggesting the suspect didn't fire. While the new footage still doesn't clearly show a muzzle flash, other physical details and audio analysis corroborate the sequence. U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro claimed the suspect shot the officer in his protective vest, though no charges for shooting a federal officer have been filed.