31. Would-be Assassin Brought Down by a Dying Man
After mortally wounding officer Leslie Coffelt, Torresola shot another officer, Joseph Downs, in the hip, back, and neck. Despite his injuries, Downs managed to lock the door, denying the attackers entry into the Blair House. Torresola then joined Collazo in his firefight, and shot officer Donald Birdzell in the knee. As the gunfight raged, President Truman stuck his head out of a window, just 30 feet away, to see what was going on.
As Secret Service agents shouted at the president to get away from the window, officer Leslie Coffelt, who had been shot by Torresola and lay dying, managed to prop himself against the guard booth. Taking aim, he fired on Torresola from 30 feet away, and shot him in the head, killing him instantly. Coffelt was rushed to the hospital, but died of his wounds four hours later. Oscar Collazo survived his injuries to be tried, convicted, and sentenced to death. Truman commuted his sentence to life in prison.