• Source:JND
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HighLights
  1. Attacker identified as Cole Allen, a California teacher.
  2. Gunfire erupted at White House Correspondents' Dinner event.
  3. President Trump evacuated; attacker called 'lone wolf'.

The gunman who opened fire at the White House Correspondents' Dinner on Saturday night has been identified as Cole Allen, a 31-year-old teacher from Torrance, California, New York Post reported. US President Donald Trump described him as a likely “lone wolf.” According to a federal law enforcement source, Allen allegedly entered the Washington Hilton and charged toward the ballroom, where around 2,500 guests, including the president, had gathered.

Who is Cole Allen?

Gunfire erupted near the indoor security screening area shortly after 8:30 p.m., as dinner service had just begun. Secret Service agents swiftly escorted Trump out of the venue, while members of his cabinet and other attendees took cover under tables before being evacuated.

The shooter appears from social media sites to be a Caltech graduate working as a part-time teacher and game developer.The official said Allen, approximately 31 years of age, is a resident of Torrance, California, a coastal town that is part of the South Bay area adjacent to Los Angeles abutting Santa Monica Bay.

The chief of the District of Columbia police department said investigators believe the suspect was a guest at the Washington Hilton hotel, where the annual dinner was taking place, but that no motive had been determined.

Facebook postings appearing to relate to Cole show that he was named “Teacher of the Month” in December 2024 by the Torrance office of C2 Education, a nationwide private test-preparation and tutoring service for college-bound students.

A LinkedIn profile in the suspect's name describes him as a "mechanical engineer and computer scientist by degree, independent game developer by experience, teacher by birth."

He obtained a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering from the California Institute of Technology in 2017, and a master's degree in computer science from California State University at Dominguez Hills in 2025, according to the profile. Caltech said in a statement that a person of that name graduated in 2017.

Under job experience, the post shows he has worked for the past several years as a part-time teacher for C2 Education and as a self-employed game developer.

He previously worked as a mechanical engineer for a company called IJK Controls in South Pasadena for a year before that as a Caltech teaching assistant.

The profile also includes a local newspaper article "on a robotics competition my team won" at Caltech in 2016.

Shooter neighbour recalls Cole Allen's unusual behaviour

A neighbour of the suspect, identified as Jeff Smith, told The Post that Allen had shown unusual behavior in the past, adding that “maybe he could be on the spectrum.” Later, a dramatic footage was shared by Trump where the shooter could be seen rushing to the venue. 

Trump said he did not think the incident was tied to the war in Iran based on information so far, but he added that his actions toward Tehran could have made him a target and that he would not be deterred. "When you do things like that, you become a target. If I wasn't doing that, I guess I'd be a lot less of a target, but I'm honored to be," he told reporters at the White House.

"It's not going to deter me from winning the war in Iran. I don't know if that had anything to do with it, I really don't think so based on what we know."

Motive unclear

The assailant will be charged with using a firearm during a crime of violence and assault on a federal officer using a dangerous weapon, US Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro told reporters.

ALSO READ: 'Violence Has No Place In Democracy': PM Modi Condemns White House Incident, Wishes Trump Continued Safety

"It is clear based on what we know so far that this individual was intent on doing as much harm and as much damage as he could," Pirro said, "And thankfully because of the checkpoint right outside the ballroom where thousands of people were situated to hear the president of the United States, because that checkpoint worked, there was no one who was injured."

A Secret Service agent who was shot was doing fine, she said. The gunman's motive remained unclear, authorities said.

ALSO READ: VIDEO: Moment Trump, Melania Hide Under Table As Shots Fired At White House Correspondents' Dinner

 

(With inputs from agencies)

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