Teacher of the Month to White House event shooter: Who is Cole Tomas Allen

The attacker intended to target Donald Trump officials who were present at the dinner event in the White House, a report by CBS News said.

In Short

• Interim police chief said the suspect was staying at the dinner hotel
• Investigators have not established whom the suspect had targeted in shooting
• Police said it remained too early to determine the shooter's intentions

The suspect arrested in the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner shooting has been identified as Cole Tomas Allen, a 31-year-old man from Torrance, California, who allegedly opened fire at a Secret Service agent after attempting to breach security at the Washington Hilton.

Authorities said Allen, who was armed with a shotgun, was taken into custody after the shooting outside the ballroom where US President Donald Trump, First Lady Melania Trump, Vice President JD Vance and senior cabinet members were present.

New details show Allen to be a graduate of the California Institute of Technology, with social media and professional profiles indicating he worked as a part-time teacher and independent game developer.

A LinkedIn profile in his name describes him as a “mechanical engineer and computer scientist by degree, independent game developer by experience, teacher by birth.”

According to the profile, he earned a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from Caltech in 2017 and a master’s degree in computer science from California State University, Dominguez Hills in 2025. Caltech has confirmed that a person by that name graduated in 2017.

WORKED AS TUTOR, WAS ‘TEACHER OF THE MONTH’

Allen is believed to have worked as a part-time tutor with C2 Education, a private test-preparation service, where he was named “Teacher of the Month” in December 2024, according to Facebook posts linked to him.

His work experience also includes stints as a self-employed game developer and as a mechanical engineer at IJK Controls in South Pasadena, along with serving as a teaching assistant at Caltech.

The profile further references his involvement in a robotics competition his team won at Caltech in 2016 and lists “Science and Technology” among his causes.

STAYED AT WASHINGTON HOTEL, MOTIVE UNCLEAR

Investigators believe Allen was staying as a guest at the Washington Hilton hotel, where the annual dinner was being held, according to the District of Columbia police chief. However, authorities have said it is too early to determine a clear motive behind the attack.

Earlier reports indicated that the suspect had made claims about targeting officials present at the event, but investigators are still working to establish intent. Officials have said the suspect appears to have acted alone, with both law enforcement and Trump describing him as a “lone wolf”.

ALLEN ARMED WITH MULTIPLE WEAPONS

Authorities said that Allen was armed with multiple weapons, including a shotgun, a handgun and multiple knives.

District of Columbia interim police chief Jeffery Carroll said investigators believe Allen acted alone, with no indication of a wider conspiracy. US President Donald Trump also said that the suspect was a 'lone wolf.'

Carroll added that the incident “does not appear to be any sort of danger to the public now.”

Meanwhile, US Attorney Jeanine Pirro said the suspect faces preliminary charges related to firearms use and assaulting a federal officer, with additional charges likely as the investigation progresses.

She said Allen is expected to be arraigned in federal court as authorities continue to piece together the sequence of events.

SUSPECT DONATED TO KAMALA HARRIS, SAYS LAURA LOOMER

The shooting at the White House event triggered a flashpoint between the Republicans and the Democrats, with far-right activist Laura Loomer claiming that the attacker contributed to the Presidential campaign of Kamala Harris in 2024.

"Cole Tomas Allen donated to @KamalaHarris in 2024! Of course he did. The Democrat Party is the Party of assassination culture," Loomer wrote from her X account.

She further mentioned that the attacker holds a master's degree in Computer Science and is 'a brown/black-skinned Democrat from California', who happens to work as a teacher.

There has been no official confirmation of these claims, and law enforcement agencies have not established any political motive behind the attack so far.

- Ends
With inputs from Reuters