A person suspected of being the gunman who fired shots outside the annual White House correspondents’ dinner, causing the evacuation of Donald Trump and others, was identified as Cole Tomas Allen, a 31-year-old individual involved in a student prank group known for “raiding random buildings.”
The incident took place outside a ballroom at the Washington Hilton hotel where the dinner was being held, with around 2,500 attendees, including Donald and Melania Trump. The US President referred to the suspect as a “lone wolf whack job” following the incident on Saturday evening.
Allen, a part-time teacher and video game developer, had a background in mechanical engineering, graduating from the California Institute of Technology in 2017. He was associated with the university’s Christian fellowship and NERF club during his time there.
NERF guns, which are toy weapons firing soft darts, arrows, and balls, were a part of Allen’s student activities as he engaged in NERF games and building raids on campus with fellow students.
Reports indicate that Allen had developed a prototype emergency brake for wheelchairs during his time at Caltech and later pursued a Master of Science in Computer Science from California State University-Dominguez Hills. He worked part-time as a teacher at C2 Education and was recognized as the “teacher of the month” in December 2024.
Additionally, Allen was also involved in video game development, having released a game called Bohrdom and working on a new game titled ‘First Law.’ He is expected to face charges, including using a firearm during a crime of violence, as confirmed by the US Attorney for the District of Columbia, Jeanine Pirro.
This incident marks the third threat to the US President since 2024, with previous incidents including an assassination attempt in Butler, Pennsylvania, resulting in injuries and a fatality.