The man who opened fire outside the ballroom during the White House Correspondents’ Dinner on Saturday evening has been identified as Cole Tomas Allen, 31 years old and residing in Torrance, California.
The identification is confirmed by several American media outlets, including AP, CNN, Newsweek and New York Post.
Allen worked as a teacher at the tutoring company C2 Education in Torrance, where in December 2024 he was named «Teacher of the Month». He was educated at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) in 2017 and completed a master’s degree in computer science at California State University–Dominguez Hills in 2025. Alongside his teaching job, he was reportedly involved in game development, according to Newsweek.
Washington, D.C.’s police chief Jeffrey Carroll stated at a press conference in the early hours of Sunday that the perpetrator was armed with a shotgun, a handgun and several knives when he stormed the security checkpoint at the Washington Hilton. Carroll and Mayor Muriel Bowser stated that Allen acted alone and that there is no danger to the public.
The United States Attorney for the District of Columbia, Jeanine Pirro, stated that Allen has been charged with two counts of use of a firearm during a crime of violence, as well as assault on a police officer with a dangerous weapon. Pirro indicated that additional charges may follow. He is scheduled to be brought before the court on Monday.
According to documents from the U.S. Federal Election Commission (FEC), as reproduced on X and by several conservative websites, Allen donated 25 dollars to Kamala Harris’s presidential campaign through ActBlue on 13 October 2024. The donation listed his employer as C2 Education and his occupation as «teacher». These details have so far not been reported by established American mainstream media.
New York Post spoke with a neighbour who gave the name Jeff Smith, and who speculated that the perpetrator might be on the autism spectrum. An eyewitness, volunteer Helen Mabus, told the newspaper that Allen apparently emerged from a room near the entrance – and that the weapon was retrieved from a bag.
Security footage published by President Trump on Truth Social shows Allen sprinting past the metal detectors before Secret Service agents turn towards him with their weapons raised. One agent was struck in the bulletproof vest.
At the press conference at the White House, Trump described the perpetrator as a likely «lone wolf» who «looked quite evil». The President dismissed any connection between the attack and the United States’ ongoing war against Iran, and said that he is not deterred. The police are expected to search Allen’s residence in Torrance shortly.
The investigation is ongoing, and the motive is not yet known.