Cole Allen removed from suicide watch; court hearing still set for Monday

WASHINGTON – The defense team for Cole Allen, the suspect in the White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner shooting, withdrew its request to remove him from suicide watch after learning the restriction had already been lifted, according to FOX News.

Attorneys called the motion moot and asked the court to cancel Monday’s hearing.

In a filing, Allen’s lawyers said they recently learned he is no longer on suicide status at the D.C. Jail, making their earlier request unnecessary and prompting the move to vacate the May 4 hearing. 

RELATED: Photo shows Cole Allen in hotel room before attack as DOJ moves to keep him jailed: investigators

What we know:

The hearing, however, remains on the court’s schedule pending the judge’s decision.

Suicide watch at the jail involves 24‑hour lockdown in a “safe cell.”

U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro told CNN on Sunday that prosecutors plan to bring the case before a grand jury this week and indicated they are working toward securing an indictment that could include additional charges.

Allen, 31, of Torrance, California, was arrested after he tried to run past security barricades near the ballroom, prompting an exchange of gunfire with Secret Service agents assigned to protect the event, according to investigators. 

READ MORE: Judge raises concerns over suicide watch for accused Correspondents’ Dinner shooter

Photo shows Cole Allen in hotel room before attack as DOJ moves to keep him jailed: investigators (Department of Justice)

His federal defender says he remains presumed innocent.

Trump was not hurt and was rushed offstage by his security detail.

“When you’re impactful, they go after you. When you’re not impactful, they leave you alone,” Trump said at the White House two hours later, still in his tuxedo and uninjured. “They seem to think he was a lone wolf.”

New details emerged last week in a court filing from prosecutors seeking to keep Allen in custody. Prosecutors said Allen repeatedly checked online updates to monitor Trump’s movements that night, including live coverage of the president arriving at the Hilton. 

An FBI affidavit also filed last week outlined additional planning behind the attack. 

Investigators say Allen reserved a room at the Washington Hilton on April 6, weeks before the dinner and its tight security. 

He then traveled cross-country by train from California last week and checked into the hotel one day before the event, with the room booked through the weekend.