The suspected gunman who tried to attack the White House Correspondents’ dinner has been identified.
Law enforcement officials confirmed to the Associated Press that the suspect is 31-year-old Cole Tomas Allen, of Torrance, California, though investigators have not publicly released the suspect’s name. Acting U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche also stated on Sunday (April 26) that White House officials believe the shooter was targeting President Donald Trump and his administration officials.
According to Al Jazeera, Allen worked in education, as Facebook posts associated with him show he was recognized with a “Teacher of the Month” award by the college test prep and tutoring company, C2 Education. A LinkedIn page linked to Allen says he graduated with a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from California Institute of Technology in 2017 and earned his master’s degree in computer science from California State University, Dominguez Hills in May 2025. The page also indicates that he was an independent video game developer.
Blanche said officials believe that the shooter traveled from California to Chicago, then to Washington, D.C., this week to check into the hotel where the White House Correspondents’ dinner was being held.
The guns Allen carried into the event, a Maverick 12-gauge shotgun and an Armscor Precision .38 semi-automatic pistol, were legally purchased, per NBC News.
On Saturday night, President Trump, First Lady Melania Trump, and several other White House officials were evacuated from the hotel where the White House Correspondents’ dinner took place after shots were fired. The White House released a report to its press pool last night that the Secret Service apprehended a shooter, which was later confirmed by President Trump via Truth Social. The President also posted a photo to the account of a person being detained.
Though first writing to Truth Social that he “recommended” continuing the events of the correspondents’ dinner as planned, the president later said, “Law Enforcement has requested that we leave the premises, consistent with protocol. The First Lady, plus the Vice President, and all Cabinet members, are in perfect condition,” adding that the dinner will be rescheduled within 30 days.
