This image released by US President Donald Trump via his Truth Social account (@realDonaldTrump) shows a person he claims to be the alleged suspect in the shooting incident at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner on the ground after being apprehended on April 25, 2026.
Photo: AFP PHOTO / @REALDONALDTRUMP – TRUTH SOCIAL
The man suspected of opening fire at the White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner worked as a teacher and video game developer from Southern California, according to public records.
Cole Tomas Allen, 31, who lives in the Los Angeles suburb of Torrance, has been identified by law enforcement as the armed man subdued near the dinner, where President Donald Trump and other officials had gathered, two sources familiar with the matter told CNN.
I am relieved that the President, the First Lady, and all guests are safe following reports of gunfire at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner in Washington tonight.
Political violence has no place in any democracy and my thoughts are with all those who have been shaken by…
— Mark Carney (@MarkJCarney) April 26, 2026
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. No-one answered a phone number for C2 late Saturday evening.
According to his LinkedIn profile, Allen graduated from the California Institute of Technology in 2017, with a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering, and received a master’s degree in computer science from California State University-Dominguez Hills last year.
Agent points his weapon after an incident at the annual White House Correspondents. Association Dinner.
Photo: AFP / CHIP SOMODEVILLA
As a student at Caltech, he was featured in a local news report in 2017 for developing a prototype emergency brake for wheelchairs.
Allen donated US$25 to Kamala Harris’ presidential campaign in October 2024, according to Federal Election Commission records.
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 $1.99. He registered a trademark for the game’s name in 2018, according to federal trademark records.
On his LinkedIn profile, Allen wrote that he was “currently developing a second game, working name ‘First Law’.”
– CNN