The suspected shooter at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner has been identified as 31-year-old Cole Tomas Allen of Torrance, California.
Allen is in custody, despite initial reports that he was fatally shot, and was taken alive after Secret Service agents neutralized him in the lobby near the security screening area.
“The attempted shooter at the White House Correspondent’s Dinner is 31 year old Cole Tomas Allen from Torrance, California and he is in custody,” New York Post and Fox News reporter Karol Markowicz confirmed in a post on X.
NEWS: The attempted shooter at the White House Correspondent’s Dinner is 31 year old Cole Tomas Allen from Torrance, California and he is in custody.
— Karol Markowicz (@karol) April 26, 2026
Reports indicate Allen assembled a long weapon in an unsecured back room before attempting to open fire near the magnetometers.
Video footage circulating on social media shows law enforcement and Secret Service agents detaining a man on the ground in the Hilton lobby.
WATCH:
BREAKING: The suspect in the White House Correspondents’ Dinner shooting has been identified as 31-year-old Cole Tomas Allen of Torrance, California.
-Video has emerged showing someone on the ground with U.S. Secret Service agents inside the Washington Hilton
-Believed to… https://t.co/EOkEIKYxj1 pic.twitter.com/PQoka3QLSR
— Mario Nawfal (@MarioNawfal) April 26, 2026
Allen appears to be a Caltech graduate who earned his master’s degree in computer science from California State University, Dominguez Hills last year.
Allen also worked as a teacher. He was named “Teacher of the Month” in December 2024 at C2 Education in Torrance, according to an Instagram post.
No manifesto or clear motive has been publicly released as of early Sunday morning, and the investigation remains ongoing.
BREAKING: The first image of the alleged shooter from the White House Correspondents’ Dinner has emerged, showing a body on the stairs at the Washington Hilton surrounded by law enforcement.
Secret Service rushed Trump and other officials off the dais after gunfire erupted,… https://t.co/Y4xVaod1QP pic.twitter.com/YiVld5LUkV
— Mario Nawfal (@MarioNawfal) April 26, 2026
The shooting comes as the very same media figures who have spent weeks protesting Trump’s attendance at the dinner were demanding “forceful” pushback or outright boycotts.
Over 250 Journalists Sign Letter Demanding ‘Forceful’ Protest Against Trump at White House Correspondents’ Dinner
As The Gateway Pundit reported, over 250 journalists signed a letter demanding the White House Correspondents’ Association use the night to condemn the president, while outlets like HuffPost boycotted entirely, and Jim Acosta called for reporters to “walk the f*ck out.”
The Associated Press reports:
A law enforcement official confirmed there was a shooter. A law enforcement officer was shot in the bullet-resistant vest but is expected to be OK, one law-enforcement officer told The Associated Press.
Some in the crowd reported hearing what they believed to be five to eight shots fired. The banquet hall — where hundreds of prominent journalists, celebrities and national leaders were awaiting Trump’s remarks — was immediately evacuated. Members of the National Guard took up position inside the building as people were allowed to leave but not immediately re-enter. Security outside was also extremely tight.
Those in attendance included Trump, Vice President JD Vance, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and many other leaders of the Trump administration.
The Gateway Pundit will continue updating this developing story as more details emerge from law enforcement and the White House.
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