The White House Correspondents’ Dinner shooter has reportedly been identified as 31-year-old Cole Tomas Allen of Torrance, California. US President Donald Trump in a press briefing revealed that the suspect who disrupted the dinner on Saturday at the banquet hall of the Washington Hilton Hotel was carrying multiple weapons but was subdued and is in custody, Bloomberg reported.
Suggesting that assassins attack the most impactful people, Trump at the White House press briefing said, “A man charged a security checkpoint armed with multiple weapons, and he was taken down by some very brave members of Secret Service.”
Cole Tomas was arrested after he allegedly open fired toward the ballroom where Trump and roughly 2,500 guests had assembled at around 8:30 PM when salad was being served.
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A federal law enforcement source confirmed that Cole Tomas Allen was a teacher in California, New York post reported.
Is White House Correspondents’ Dinner shooter alive?
Washington Post journalist John Hudson revealed that the suspect is alive and has been transported to Howard University Hospital, citing a statement of one US official and one law enforcement official. He further disclosed that a Secret Service agent was injured and is in the hospital.
Describing the shooter as a “lone wolf”, Trump said that one officer was shot, but is “doing great” as he was protected by a bullet-proof vest. The shooter was “taken down by some very brave members of Secret Service, and they acted very quickly,” the US President added as he suggested that other senior US officials were evacuated from the event in Washington, DC, immediately.
Trump continued, “As you know this is not the first time in the past couple of years that our republic has been attacked by a would-be assassin who sought to kill,” adding “In light of this evening’s events, I asked that all Americans recommit with their hearts and resolving our difference peacefully.” The US President further indicated that police were searching the suspect’s residence in California.
Earlier, in a post on Truth Social, Trump said Vice President JD Vance, First Lady Melania Trump and members of his Cabinet were safe and unharmed by the open firing. He vowed to headline another correspondents dinner within 30 days and to rework his prepared remarks.
Cole Tomas Allen to be charged with crime of violence
According to US Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro, the suspect will be charged with two counts of using a firearm during a crime of violence, in addition to one count of assault on a federal officer using a dangerous weapon. Indicating that the suspect will be arraigned in court on Monday, she said, “This individual was intent on doing as much harm and as much damage as he could,” as she expected “many more charges” in the probe.
More about Cole Tomas Allen
Eagle eyed social media users scanned Cole Tomas Allen’s LinkedIn profile and suggested that the suspect graduated from Caltech with Mechanical Engineering degree in 2017 and earned a master’s in computer science in 2025 from Dominguez Hills and Research Fellowship at NASA.
LiveMint could not independently identify this development
