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Suspected Shooter At White House Correspondents Dinner Identified As California Teacher

First Lady Melania Trump and U.S. President Donald Trump attend of the annual White House Correspondents Association Dinner April 25, 2026 in Washington, DC.(Photo by Nathan Howard/Getty Images)

Authorities identified the gunman who opened fire at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner in Washington on Saturday night as a California man, according to reports citing law enforcement sources.

Cole Allen, from Torrance, California, allegedly attacked the event while President Donald Trump and other senior U.S. officials were in attendance, The New York Times and CBS News reported. On-scene footage posted to social media showed guests crouching to the floor or running after four shots were heard, with law enforcement surveying the area with guns. Officials apprehended the suspect alive, Trump and the FBI said on social media.

Allen was praised as “Teacher of the Month” by C2 Education of Torrance in a December 2024 Facebook post from the tutoring school. His LinkedIn profile lists him as a part-time teacher with C2 and an independent video game developer.

The suspect also made a $25 donation to former Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris’ 2024 presidential campaign, Federal Election Commission records show.

Trump posted pictures on Truth Social of what appeared to be the suspect pinned face-down on the hotel’s floor, shirtless and restrained by law enforcement agents. Blurry video footage posted by the president showed a figure racing past agents on foot in a hallway of the Washington Hilton hotel, where the annual dinner was hosted. Allen was armed with multiple weapons, Trump said at a Saturday night press conference alongside FBI Director Kash Patel.

“We will be examining this individual’s background thoroughly,” Patel said. “That process has already started.”