White House Correspondents’ Dinner shooting suspect wrote statement denouncing Trump

Amy B Wang

Washington Post·

26 Apr, 2026 07:13 PM2 mins to read

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Agents draw their guns after loud bangs were heard during the White House Correspondents’ Dinner at the Washington Hilton in Washington, DC, yesterday. Photo / Mandel Ngan, AFP

The man suspected in the White House Correspondents’ Dinner shooting wrote a statement saying he wanted to target members of United States President Donald Trump’s Administration, according to two law enforcement officials familiar with the document.

Acting Attorney-General Todd Blanche said that the suspect in custody, identified as Cole
Tomas Allen, 31, of Torrance, California, appeared to be targeting members of the Trump Administration, and potentially Trump, but that the information was “quite preliminary”.

Officials based their assessment on Allen’s writings, including a statement he sent to members of his family before the shooting, investigators said.

Washington DC interim police chief Jeffery Carroll said yesterday that Allen was armed with a shotgun, a handgun and knives when he charged through a security checkpoint towards the ballroom at the Washington Hilton, where hundreds of journalists, politicians and celebrities were gathered for the dinner.

Allen will be charged with two counts of using a firearm during a crime of violence and one count of assault on a federal officer using a dangerous weapon, US Attorney for Washington DC Jeanine Pirro said.