Manas Dasgupta
NEW DELHI, Apr 26: The shooter at the White House press dinner at the Hilton Hotel in Washington on Saturday night, who was subdued immediately and brought under control, has been identified as 31-year-old Cole Allen, hailing from Torrance California.
Authorities, though, are yet to confirm this but they have said that the accused acted alone, and was armed with a shotgun, a handgun and knives. More reports have indicated that he was a hotel guest. Unverified social media profiles describe Allen as a mechanical engineer, computer scientist, indie game developer, and part-time teacher based in the Los Angeles area.
According to the online profiles, Allen is a graduate of the California Institute of Technology, where he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering in 2017. He later completed a Master’s degree in Computer Science from California State University-Dominguez Hills.
His work history lists roles as a mechanical engineer at IJK Controls and a teaching assistant at Caltech. He has also worked as a part-time teacher for C2 Education, a company that offers admissions counselling and test preparation services to aspiring college students. A 2024 post on the company’s Facebook page listed Allen as the company’s teacher of the month. In 2014, Allen participated in a Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory.
Allen also posted that he had developed a video game for the Steam platform based on molecular chemistry. A post under Allen’s name said he was working to develop a new “top-down shooter” combat game set in outer space. Allen is also described as a self-employed indie game developer who created games such as “Bohrdom” and “First Law.”
Allen contributed $25 to a Democratic Party political action committee in support of Kamala Harris for president in 2024, according to federal campaign finance records.
Chaos had broken out during the annual White House dinner at the Hilton Hotel after the shooter tried to cross the security checkpoint at the venue and fired multiple shots, triggering panic among the people. The shooting occurred outside the hotel as the high-profile dinner was being held, prompting an immediate response from the US Secret Service and local law enforcement. Investigators say Allen was stopped at a security checkpoint before he could reach the ballroom where the president and roughly 2,500 guests were present.
US Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro said Allen would be charged with two counts of “using a firearm during a crime of violence” and for “assault on a federal officer using a dangerous weapon.” He would be arraigned in court on Monday, she said.
Pirro added that while only one officer was injured, “it is clear based upon what we know so far that this individual was intent on doing as much harm and as much damage as he could” and said he was only stopped because the security checkpoint outside the hotel worked.
Washington, DC police chief Jeffery Carroll said the suspect was armed with multiple weapons, including a shotgun, a handgun, and several knives. “As he ran through that checkpoint, members of law enforcement from the United States Secret Service intercepted that individual,” Carroll said and added that Allen was believed to have been a guest at the Washington Hilton, where the dinner was held.
“Law enforcement exchanged gunfire with the individual. A US Secret Service Uniformed Division Officer was struck in his vest…He seems to be in good spirits at this time.” Carroll said the suspect was not hit by gunfire during the exchange. “The suspect in this case, he was not struck by gunfire…It does appear he is a lone actor, a lone gunman,” he said.
Federal law enforcement sources said the suspect was arrested after allegedly entering the Washington Hilton hotel and charging toward the ballroom. Washington, DC Mayor Muriel Bowser said the suspect has been taken to hospital and is being evaluated. She said a Secret Service officer who was hit in his bulletproof vest was also taken to hospital.
Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Director Kash Patel said the agency was examining the suspect’s background. “We will be examining this individual’s background thoroughly. That process has already started… we will analyse all evidence immediately to make sure that we safeguard this country,” Patel said.
Trump shared images of the accused on social media platform Truth Social, which show him pinned to the ground without a shirt and with his hands tied behind his back. Following the shooting incident, Trump told reporters that the suspect was armed with multiple weapons before he was stopped by the Secret Service.
“A man charged a security checkpoint armed with multiple weapons, and he was taken down by some very brave members of the Secret Service… One officer was shot, but saved… the vest did the job. I just spoke to the officer, and he’s doing great,” Trump said. The president also said charges would be filed soon.
Many also tried to link the shooter with Iran, but Mr Trump said the incident was unlikely to be linked with the ongoing war but officials were working to find out his motive. “It’s not going to deter me from winning the war in Iran. I don’t know if that had anything to do with it, I really don’t think so, based on what we know,” Trump told reporters in a brief press conference, which he addressed shortly after the incident.