White House shooting suspect Cole Tomas Allen's legal representatives have requested a judge to lift the suicide precautions imposed on him while incarcerated in Washington. Allen is accused of attempting to assassinate President Donald Trump during a formal press gala last weekend.
According to a filing by his attorneys in the US District Court for the District of Columbia, Allen was initially placed in a 'safe cell' with 24-hour lockdown protocols and a vest akin to a straitjacket upon his initial booking into the jail facility on April 27. He was later downgraded to 'suicide precautions,' which restrict his access to resources such as a jail tablet and limit his interactions with loved ones.
The conditions of Allen's confinement 'amounts to punishment' and have been in effect since a visit by one of his public defense attorneys on Friday. A nurse suggested on Friday that these precautions be lifted, but they remained in effect during the visit.
Allen faces charges of attempted assassination, discharging a firearm during a violent crime, and unlawfully transporting firearms and ammunition across state lines. He has not yet entered a plea.
