What we know about Cole Tomas Allen, the part-time teacher from California who stormed the White House Correspondent's Dinner

An armed gunman opened fire near the White House Correspondents’ Dinner in Washington on Sunday, triggering panic and the swift evacuation of a venue hosting US President Donald Trump, First Lady Melania Trump, senior officials and hundreds of journalists.

What we know about the suspect

The suspect has been identified as Cole Tomas Allen, a 31-year-old resident of California, according to two law enforcement officials cited by The Associated Press.

Authorities said he was armed with a shotgun, a handgun and multiple knives when he attempted to breach a Secret Service checkpoint near the venue.


Also read: White House dinner shooting suspect was armed with multiple weapons, says Trump

D.C. Police Chief Jeffery W. Carroll said the individual “charged a Secret Service checkpoint” before being subdued. The suspect was not shot during the encounter but was taken to a local hospital for evaluation.

Law enforcement sources cited by CNN said Allen is from Torrance, in the Los Angeles suburbs, and was the man overpowered near the venue where Trump and other officials had gathered. During a press briefing, Trump described the suspect as “a guy who looked pretty evil,” adding that investigators believe he may have been acting alone.

A LinkedIn profile matching Allen’s name and photograph describes him as a part-time teacher at C2 Education, a tutoring and test preparation firm. The company had named him “teacher of the month” in December 2024, according to its social media posts.

Also Read: Cries of ‘Get down!’ & correspondents ‘ducked under the table’; media recalls panic and chaos at White House dinner shooting

The profile also indicates that Allen graduated from the California Institute of Technology in 2017 with a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering and later earned a master’s degree in computer science from California State University, Dominguez Hills last year.

Federal Election Commission records show that Allen donated $25 to Vice President Kamala Harris’s presidential campaign in October 2024.

Security response and incident details

According to officials, the gunman fired at a Secret Service agent during the confrontation. The agent, who was struck in an area protected by gear, was taken to a hospital and is reported to be “in good spirits.”

The incident sent attendees scrambling for cover as security forces flooded the area and began evacuations. Trump and other senior officials were safely escorted out, and the suspect was taken into custody as investigations into the breach continue.