"Teacher of the Month" From Southern California Identified as Armed Suspect in White House Correspondents' Dinner Shooting

The man arrested in the White House Correspondents' Dinner shooting in Washington on Saturday has been identified as Cole Thomas Allen, 31, of Torrance, California.

According to Allen's LinkedIn profile, which The New York Post and other outlets reviewed, he graduated from the California Institute of Technology in 2017.

Subsequently, he earned a Master of Science degree in computer science from California State University, Dominguez Hills in May 2025.

His LinkedIn profile showed he worked as a mechanical engineer for approximately a year before transitioning to game development

Allen also worked as a teacher at C2 Education and was named "teacher of the month" in December 2024, according to a social media post reviewed by The New York Post.

The incident unfolded at approximately 8:36 p.m. as President Donald Trump was seated onstage at the Washington Hilton hotel. The president was immediately escorted out by Secret Service agents, others dove under tables before they were also evacuated from the building.

Vice President JD Vance, First Lady Melania Trump and Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, among others, were also taken out of the dinner immediately after shots were fired.

According to interim Washington police Chief Jeffery Carroll, Allen was "armed with a shotgun, a handgun and multiple knives." A video posted by Trump on his Truth Social showed the suspect opening fire and rushing toward the ballroom in security's presence.

"At this point it does appear he is a lone actor, a lone gunman. There does not appear to be any sort of danger to the public," Carroll said.

Meanwhile, the president took to Truth Social to address the incident at the time.

"Quite an evening in D.C. Secret Service and Law Enforcement did a fantastic job. They acted quickly and bravely. The shooter has been apprehended, and I have recommended that we 'LET THE SHOW GO ON' but, will entirely be guided by Law Enforcement. They will make a decision shortly. Regardless of that decision, the evening will be much different than planned, and we’ll just, plain, have to do it again. President DONALD J. TRUMP," he wrote.

Although no one from the Cabinet was reported hurt following the incident, an officer was shot during the altercation, with the bullet hitting his bulletproof vest.

During a press conference, President Trump confirmed that the "vest did the job," and that the officer was in "great shape." He also revealed that the officer was shot from close range with a "very powerful gun."

"I heard a noise and sort of thought it was a tray. I thought it was a tray going down. I think she knew immediately what happened. She was saying, ‘That’s a bad noise,'" the president said recalling the incident.

According to a source cited by NBC News, the officer was later discharged from the hospital.