The suspect to fired shots at White House Correspondents’ Dinner on Saturday has been identified by the security officials as Cole Tomas Allen from California.According to the United States federal agencies, the 31-year-old gunman will be charged with two counts of “using a firearm during a crime of violence” and for “assault on a federal officer using a dangerous weapon.
“The suspect made it past the outermost layer of security at the event at which President Donald Trump was scheduled to speak because he was a guest of the hotel.Teacher of the monthSocial media posts that appear to match Allen show he is tutor and amateur video game developer.According to news agency Associated Press, A May 2025 profile photo of Cole Tomas Allen of Torrence, California, appears to match the appearance of the man in a photo of the alleged attacker being taken into custody that was posted Saturday night by President Donald Trump.The photo, posted to the social networking site LinkedIn, shows him in a cap and gown after graduating with a master’s degree in computer science from California State University-Dominguez Hills.His LinkedIn profile says that he earned a bachelor’s degree in 2017 in mechanical engineering from California Institute of Technology in Pasadena and listed his involvement there in a Christian student fellowship and a campus group that battled with Nerf guns.
A local ABC station in Los Angeles included an interview with Allen during his senior year of college as part of a story about new technologies to help people as they age. He had also developed a prototype for a new type of emergency brake for wheelchairs.Moreover, Allen also contributed $25 to a Democratic Party political action committee in support of Kamala Harris for president in 2024, according to federal campaign finance records.Allen’s online resume says he worked for the last six years at C2 Education, a company that offers admissions counseling and test preparation services to aspiring college students. A 2024 post on the company’s Facebook page listed Allen as the company’s teacher of the month. The company did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment Saturday night.Allen also posted that he had developed a video game for the Steam platform based on molecular chemistry.
A post under Allen’s name said he was working to develop a new “top-down shooter” combat game set in outer space.‘Sick person’Trump shared visuals of the shooter on social media platform which show him lying on the ground and his hands tied behind hid back.While addressing a press conference after the shooting incident, Trump said that the suspect was armed with multiple weapons before he was stopped by the Secret Service.“A man charged a security checkpoint armed with multiple weapons, and he was taken down by some very brave members of the Secret Service…
One officer was shot, but saved… the vest did the job. I just spoke to the officer, and he’s doing great,” Trump said.The president also said charges would be filed soon.“I expect you will see charges filed shortly. The charges should be self-evident, given the conduct, but as you’ll hear, there will be multiple charges surrounding the shooting around the possession of firearms and anything else that we can get on this guy,” he said.Calling the suspect a “sick person,” Trump said he had been captured and warned that similar actions could be attempted again.“The man has been captured. They’re going to his apartment. I guess he lives in California and he’s a sick person… I said, very importantly, that we’ll do it again within the next 30 days, and we’ll make it bigger, and better, and even nicer,” the US President said.
