The individual accused of initiating a shooting at the White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner has been identified as a teacher and video game developer from Southern California, according to available public records.
The suspect, Cole Tomas Allen, a 31-year-old resident of Torrance, located on the outskirts of Los Angeles, was recognized as ‘Teacher of the Month’ in December 2024 by his employer.
Washington, DC’s interim police chief, Jeffery W. Carroll, reported that the suspect was equipped with a shotgun, a handgun, and several knives.
One police officer sustained a gunshot wound but was saved by his bulletproof vest.
Footage from security cameras, shared by former President Trump on Truth Social, captures the moment the alleged gunman breached security at the Hilton hotel.
At the time, more than half a dozen police officers and Secret Service agents were stationed at a security post near the event’s banquet hall.
More than half a dozen police and Secret Service agents were manning a security station near the banquet hall.
The alleged shooter sprints past, armed with a long arm, before security immediately began opening fire in his direction.
“He was moving, he was really moving, and the reaction time was great,” Trump told reporters.
He also posted an image without a caption, of a man being held on a carpeted floor.
“They seem to think he was a lone wolf, and I feel that too,” he told reporters.
“He was a guy who looked pretty evil when he was down. He was biting hard.”
Another photo taken at the scene shows a man covered with a foil blanket on the floor with his hands cuffed, overseen by law enforcement officers.
Suspect worked as a part- time teacher
A LinkedIn profile matching his name and photo described him as a part-time teacher at C2 Education, a test prep and tutoring company.
C2 named Allen the company’s “teacher of the month” in December 2024, according to social media posts from the company. When CNMN attempted to reach out no one answered a phone number for C2.
According to his LinkedIn profile, Allen graduated from the California Institute of Technology in 2017 with a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering.
He received a master’s degree in computer science from California State University-Dominguez Hills last year.
Allen also described himself as a video game developer on his LinkedIn profile, and appears to have published an indie game called Bohrdom for sale on the Steam gaming platform for $US1.99.
He registered a trademark for the game’s name in 2018, according to federal trademark records.
Suspect thought to have worked alone
Carroll said investigators had no reason to believe at this time that anyone else was involved.
Carroll, said that he could not say at this point what the shooter’s motivation was, and that it is too soon to know who the suspect had intended to target in the shooting.
US Attorney Jeanine Pirro said the suspect is being charged preliminarily with two charges related to using a firearm and assaulting an officer with a dangerous weapon, but that there will be many more charges filed “based on the information that we are learning in this very fluid situation.”
Pirro said the suspect would be arraigned on Monday in federal district court.
Media have been seen at a house connected to him in the Californian city.
Trump called the shooter a “whack job,” and a “sick person.”
