Cole Tomas Allen, a 31-year-old part-time teacher and video game developer from Torrance, California, has been identified as the suspect in the shooting incident at the White House Correspondents' Association Dinner. The event, held at the Washington Hilton, was attended by former President Donald Trump, the First Lady, and other officials when Allen allegedly breached a security checkpoint armed with multiple weapons. Law enforcement sources confirmed he was subdued near the venue, prompting an evacuation. One Secret Service agent was struck by gunfire, but the bullet was stopped by a protective vest, and the agent survived.
Allen worked at C2 Education, a test preparation and tutoring company, where he was named "teacher of the month" in December 2024. He holds a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering from the California Institute of Technology, earned in 2017, and a master's in computer science from California State University, Dominguez Hills. That same year, he was featured in a local news report for designing a prototype emergency brake for wheelchairs. He also developed a video game titled Bohrdom, released on Steam, and registered a trademark for it in 2018. Allen was reportedly working on a second game titled "First Law."
Federal Election Commission records show Allen donated $25 to Vice President Kamala Harris' presidential campaign in October 2024. Authorities have not disclosed a motive, and investigations remain ongoing.
💡 NaijaBuzz is an AI-assisted news aggregator. This content is curated from third-party sources — NaijaBuzz is not the original publisher and is not responsible for the accuracy of source reporting. The NaijaBuzz Take is AI-assisted editorial opinion only, not established fact. All persons mentioned are presumed innocent until proven guilty by a court of competent jurisdiction. NaijaBuzz does not endorse the views expressed in source articles.
