He was described as a “borderline genius.” A mechanical engineer who once interned for NASA. A teacher who won “Teacher of the Month.” His students called him brilliant. His teammates called him gentle.
But on Saturday night, Cole Tomas Allen, 31, armed with a shotgun, a handgun, and knives, rushed a security checkpoint outside the White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner and ran toward the packed ballroom where President Donald Trump was seated with other White House officials and journalists.
He believed it was his duty to target Trump administration officials. And he left a note explaining exactly why.
The Attack
The Washington Hilton was filled with the Washington press corps, presidential administration staffers, and celebrities. Trump was attending the dinner for the first time as president, accompanied by first lady Melania Trump. They were seated at the front of the ballroom.
Then came the sound. Video captured what sounded like at least five loud bangs. Armed officers rushed in. The president, first lady, Vice President JD Vance, and others were hauled away. Attendees ducked under tables.
Trump exchanged gunfire with law enforcement and was tackled to the ground. He was not shot but was taken to a local hospital.
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said on “Meet the Press” on Sunday that authorities believe the suspect traveled by train from Los Angeles to Chicago, and then Chicago to Washington, D.C., where he checked into the hotel where the correspondents’ dinner was held in the last day or two.
The Writings
Just moments before the attack, Allen sent family members a note apologizing to his parents, colleagues, students, bystanders, and others for what he was about to do. “I don’t expect forgiveness,” Allen wrote. “Again, my sincere apologies.”
In the note, Allen criticized Trump without mentioning him by name. He wrote about lax security at the hotel, saying he had expected more. He also described his “expected rules of engagement,” writing: “Administration officials (not including Mr. Patel): they are targets, prioritized from highest-ranking to lowest.” He appeared to be referring to FBI Director Kash Patel.
Later, he added, “I experience rage thinking about everything this administration has done.”
A Bluesky account believed to belong to Allen included recent posts or reposts that were critical of Trump and his administration’s policies, as well as of the US war with Iran and Russia’s war with Ukraine.
The Warning Signs
Allen’s brother contacted the New London Police Department in Connecticut when he received the note. The department confirmed being contacted at around 10:49 p.m. Saturday — just over two hours after the shooting — “by an individual who expressed concern about the incident that occurred at the White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner earlier in the evening.”
Allen’s sister told the Secret Service and Montgomery County Police after the shooting that her brother had a tendency to make radical statements and had referred to a plan to do “something” to fix the issues with today’s world.
In an interview with law enforcement, Allen’s sister confirmed he purchased two handguns and a shotgun from CAP Tactical Firearms and kept them stored at their parents’ home. She added that their parents were unaware that Allen was keeping the firearms in the home. Allen regularly went to a shooting range to train with his firearms and was a part of a group called “The Wide Awakes.” His sister said he attended a “No Kings” anti-Trump protest in California at some point.
In the note to his family, Allen even wrote about the type of ammunition he would use in “order to minimize casualties.”
The Man Behind the Attack
Public records and interviews show that Allen was a trained engineer who once interned for NASA and participated in the Nerf club and Christian fellowship at the California Institute of Technology, before more recently developing video games and working as a part-time teacher.
A former volleyball teammate remembered Allen as a “borderline genius” and “super stable.” “Other people study hard,” said the ex-teammate. “He didn’t have to study. It would just come to him. He was really, really smart.”
The ex-teammate said Allen was also a very good writer and seemed well-versed in several subjects. “Across the board, he was really knowledgeable, really curious.” But he expressed surprise that Allen would be the suspect. “He was probably the most gentle person on the team, which makes it even more shocking that he did this.”
In December 2024, C2 Education, a company dedicated to helping high schoolers get into college, named Allen its “Teacher of the Month.” That same year, Allen donated $25 to ActBlue with the memo “Earmarked for Harris for President.”
Bin Tang, a professor in the computer science department at California State University, Dominguez Hills, where Allen obtained his master’s degree, remembered him as being “a very good student” who paid attention and went to office hours. “Soft spoken, very polite, a good fellow,” he said. “I am very shocked to see the news.”
A student who received tutoring from Allen told a nonprofit president that she had met with him as recently as April 14, and there were no signs that anything was amiss. “He’s so smart,” she added.
The Charges
Jeanine Pirro, US attorney for Washington, D.C., said the suspect would be charged with two counts of using a firearm during a crime of violence and a second crime of assault on a federal officer using a dangerous weapon. She added that “many more charges” were expected to be filed.
The FBI executed a search warrant at a home believed to be associated with Allen in Torrance, California.
In a press briefing shortly after the attack, Trump called the suspected shooter a “whack job” and a “lone wolf.” “Melania was very cognizant, I think, of what happened,” the president said. “I think she knew immediately what happened. She was saying, ‘That’s a bad noise.'”
C2 Education said in a statement: “We were shocked to hear the news of the horrifying incident that transpired at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner. We are cooperating fully with law enforcement to assist them in their investigation. Violence of any kind is never the answer.”
The Bottom Line
Cole Tomas Allen, a 31-year-old California teacher and engineer who once interned for NASA, opened fire outside the White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner on Saturday night. He was armed with a shotgun, a handgun, and knives. He exchanged gunfire with law enforcement before being tackled. He is expected to face federal charges.
Minutes before the attack, Allen sent family members a note apologizing for what he was about to do. He wrote that administration officials were “targets, prioritized from highest-ranking to lowest.” He wrote: “I experience rage thinking about everything this administration has done.”
A former teammate called him a “borderline genius” and “super stable.” A professor remembered him as “soft spoken, very polite, a good fellow.” A student said he was “so smart.” In December 2024, he was named “Teacher of the Month.”
The gentle genius who taught high schoolers and built soccer-playing robots at Caltech brought a hit list to the White House Correspondents’ Dinner. And at the top of that list was the President of the United States.
