California Engineer Identified in Suspected Shooting at White House Correspondents’ Dinner

Caroline HaskinsAndrew CoutsPoliticsApr 25, 2026 11:26 PMCalifornia Engineer Identified in Suspected Shooting at White House Correspondents' DinnerThe 31-year-old engineer and self-described indie game developer is suspected of firing shots at the annual event attended by President Donald Trump, high-profile media figures, and US government officials.US President Donald Trump listens as acting attorney general Todd Blanche speaks during a press briefing shortly after a shooting incident at the White House Correspondents' Dinner on April 25, 2026.Photograph: MANDEL NGAN/Getty ImagesSave StorySave this storySave StorySave this storyA 31-year-old engineer and computer scientist was identified by media reports and President Donald Trump as the suspected shooter at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner on Saturday night.Cole Tomas Allen, of Torrance, California, was apprehended following the firing of shots at the Washington Hilton, where Trump was scheduled to deliver remarks to a ballroom full of journalists, cabinet officials, and Hilton staff. Allen’s name surfaced in media reports shortly before Trump posted two photos of a suspect following his apprehension. The person in the photos Trump posted matches photos of Allen.In dramatic scenes, several shots were heard outside the ballroom, after which Trump and Vice President JD Vance were immediately rushed off the stage by the United States Secret Service. In the immediate aftermath of the shooting incident, it briefly appeared as if the event would proceed—Trump posted “LET THE SHOW GO ON” on Truth Social—but the event was eventually shut down.According to the Metropolitan Police Department, the suspect “charged” a Secret Service checkpoint at the Hilton hotel, and was intercepted by agents. MPD interim chief Jeffery Carroll said the suspect was carrying a “shotgun, handgun, and multiple knives.”At a White House press conference following the shooting, Trump said one United States Secret Service agent was shot but saved from serious injury by his bulletproof vest. Trump said the agent, who was not named, is “doing great” and in “great shape.” No other injuries were immediately reported.The suspect was later transported to a local hospital “to be evaluated,” according to Carroll, who said he appears to be a “lone actor.”Around the time Trump’s press conference began on Saturday night, he posted a picture on his Truth Social account appearing to show the suspected shooter on the ground, with his hands restrained behind his back, and a foil warming blanket covering the lower half of his body.A WIRED review of public databases shows a seemingly minimal online presence associated with Allen’s name. According to his LinkedIn profile, he graduated from Caltech in 2017 with a bachelor’s in mechanical engineering and from California State University Dominguez Hills in 2025 with a master’s in computer science. An apparent photo of Allen that appears on Caltech’s website identifies him as a member of the school's Mechanical Engineering 72 class, described by the school as a “two-term engineering design lab” for building robots and autonomous vehicles. His name is also listed in a 2025 Dominguez Hills graduation program. A search in a public facial recognition database returns only two images, both apparently of him as an undergraduate.According to the suspected shooter’s LinkedIn profile, he has been employed part-time since March 2020 at C2 Education, a private company that helps students…

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