CNN’s Kaitlan Collins Calls Out Weird Inconsistency in Trump-WHCD Shooter’s Arrest: ‘Raises Questions’

CNN anchor and senior White House correspondent Kaitlan Collins called out a weird inconsistency in the arrest of the suspect in the White House Correspondents’ Dinner (WHCD) shooting, which she said “raises questions.”

Chaos erupted Saturday night at the so-called “Hinckley Hilton” when a loud noise that turned out to be gunfire unleashed pandemonium. Several correspondents managed to file reports via phone and smartphone video practically in real time.

Suspect Cole Tomas Allen was taken into custody after rushing through the security perimeter and opening fire. Initial reporting that Allen was shot or killed turned out not to be true. President Donald Trump was not hurt in the incident.

Allen was in possession of two firearms — a 12-gauge pump action shotgun and a Rock Island Armory 1911 .38 caliber pistol  — and several knives when he was arrested.

On Monday night’s edition of CNN’s The Source with Kaitlan Collins, Collins asked CNN senior law enforcement analyst Andrew McCabe about the conflicting information about how the suspect was stopped, and McCabe referenced the charging affidavit:

KAITLAN COLLINS: But when you see the surveillance video of him rushing the checkpoint. What we heard from Todd Blanche today, is he said the suspect — that law enforcement fired five shots.

When he was asked if the Secret Service agent who was shot was hit by the suspect’s weapon, he said it wasn’t clear, to follow up on what you said. I do think it raises questions about how exactly the suspect was stopped in this situation.

ANDREW MCCABE: Yes, we’ve gotten a lot of conflicting information about that. So notably, a witness who was within feet of him, when he hit the ground, told Wolf Blitzer this morning on these airways, that he just fell, he fell right at her feet. It’s interesting to me as well that the affidavit in support of the complaint, the charging document, says that he stopped. Does not–

COLLINS: Yes, it doesn’t clarify.

MCCABE: It doesn’t say that he was subdued, that he was arrested, that he was taken to the ground. It just says that he stopped.

COLLINS: Yes.

MCCABE: So, I’m not really sure why the Deputy Attorney General’s statements continue to kind of lead forward, kind of — getting out there ahead of the facts a little bit here. It’s a bit of an inconsistency, in terms of how the attacker was actually stopped.

COLLINS: Yes. I mean, this says that the officer drew his weapon, fired multiple times, he fell to the ground and suffered minor injuries, but was not ultimately shot.

The portion of the affadavit that McCabe referenced reads:

13. At approximately 8:40 p.m., ALLEN approached a security checkpoint on the Terrace Level of the hotel leading to the location of the dinner. ALLEN approached and ran through the magnetometer holding a long gun. As he did so, U.S. Secret Service personnel assigned to the checkpoint heard a loud gunshot. U.S. Secret Service Officer V.G. was shot once in the chest; Officer V.G. was wearing a ballistic vest at the time.

14. Officer V.G. drew his service weapon and fired multiple times at ALLEN, who fell to the ground and suffered minor injuries but was not shot. ALLEN was subsequently arrested.

Watch above via CNN’s The Source with Kaitlan Collins.

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