The suspect in the shooting that occurred during the White House Correspondents’ Dinner has been identified as Cole Tomas Allen, a 31-year-old from California, a police official confirmed.
According to available information, Allen is a resident of Torrance, a coastal city in the South Bay area near Los Angeles.
Based on information from social networks and professional profiles, he is a graduate of the California Institute of Technology (Caltech), who worked as a part-time teacher and independent video game developer, Reuters reports.
Education and professional profile
His LinkedIn profile describes him as “a mechanical engineer and computer scientist by education, a game developer by experience, and a teacher by vocation.”
According to the same source, he graduated from Caltech in 2017 with a degree in mechanical engineering, while he earned a master’s degree in computer science in 2025 from California State University, Dominguez Hills. Caltech confirmed that a person with that name graduated that year.
He worked for several years as a part-time teacher at C2 Education, which provides entrance exam preparation, and as an independent game developer. He was previously employed as a mechanical engineer at IJK Controls in South Pasadena and worked as an assistant professor at Caltech.
Recognition and activities
In social media, he is reported to have been named “Teacher of the Month” at the Torrance branch of C2 Education in December 2024.
His profile includes a local newspaper article about his team’s victory in the Caltech robotics competition in 2016. He lists “science and technology” as his only area of interest.
Details of the attack and investigation
The District of Columbia Police Chief said investigators believe the suspect was a guest at the Washington Hilton Hotel, where the traditional dinner was being held, but the motive for the attack is not yet known.
The US Secret Service said the gunman was armed with a shotgun and was arrested after opening fire on one of its agents at the Washington Hilton Hotel, outside the event venue.
The dinner was attended by President Donald Trump, his wife Melania, Vice President JD Vance, and several members of the US administration.
