Authorities reveal identity of individual behind White House state dinner gunfire incident

A 31-year-old man from Southern California, identified as Cole Tomas Allen of Torrance, has been named by authorities as the suspect accused of opening fire at officers during the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner in Washington, D.C., on Saturday, according to a federal official familiar with the case.

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Allen was armed with a shotgun, handgun, and multiple knives when he rushed a security checkpoint and ran toward the ballroom where the dinner was taking place, said Jeff Carroll, interim police chief of the Metropolitan Police Department.

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He reportedly exchanged gunfire with law enforcement before being tackled to the ground, and although the suspect was not injured, a Secret Service officer was struck in his bulletproof vest and is expected to survive.

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The officer was later discharged from hospital, and officials said Allen’s motive remains unclear, adding that he had no criminal record and was not previously known to law enforcement in Washington.

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Investigators said both recovered firearms were legally purchased, with records showing Allen bought a Maverick 12-gauge shotgun in August 2025 and an Armscor Precision .38 semi-automatic pistol in October 2023.

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According to his LinkedIn profile, Allen graduated from the California Institute of Technology in 2017 with a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering and later obtained a master’s degree in computer science from California State University, Dominguez Hills in May 2025.

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A former high school volleyball teammate described Allen as a “borderline genius” and “super stable,” saying “other people study hard, he didn’t have to study, it would just come to him, he was really, really smart.”

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The ex-teammate also noted that “across the board, he was really knowledgeable, really curious,” and added that “he was probably the most gentle person on the team, which makes it even more shocking that he did this.”

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Jeanine Pirro, U.S. attorney for Washington, D.C., said the suspect would be charged with two counts of using a firearm during a crime of violence and assaulting a federal officer with a dangerous weapon, and added that “many more charges” are expected.