Headlines

• Suspect sent "manifesto" to family before dinner.
• This marks the third serious threat against President Donald Trump’s life. 

Apr. 26 (DPnet).– A man taken into custody after gunfire rang out at the annual White House Correspondents' Assn. dinner on Saturday was identified by law enforcement sources as 31-year-old Cole Thomas Allen, of Torrance, a coastal community in southwestern Los Angeles County. 

The event was attended by President Donald Trump, First Lady Melania Trump, Vice President JD Vance, and all cabinet members, along with journalists, lawmakers, and public figures. The scene at the annual event in Washington turned chaotic when Allen dashed toward the dining area and was met with gunfire. The suspect fired two shots before being taken down by authorities. One officer who was wearing a bulletproof vest was shot and injured.

Acting Attorney General, Todd Blanche, said the suspect revealed he was targeting President Trump and other members of the Trump administration. Allen wrote a "manifesto" which stated he wanted to specifically target administration officials, according to other law enforcement and White House officials.

Authorities also found anti-Trump and anti-Christian rhetoric on the suspect's social media accounts when searcching his home, the official said. Cole Allen sent some of his writings to members of his family before the attempted attack on Saturday, and one of them alerted police about the writings.

Cole Allen home in Torrance, Calif.

A family member who was interviewed by investigators after the attack said Allen made radical statements and that he constantly referenced a plan to do "something" to fix the issues with today's world. Agents searched his home and examined Allen's electronics, his writings and spoke to family and friends since the shooting seeking to determine a clear motive. Along with his home, agents searched a 10th floor room at the Hilton in Washington D.C., where he rented a room. 

President Trump, speaking on Fox News. said Allen had written a "manifesto" before the attack. “And the guy was a sick guy. When you read his manifesto, he hates Christians,” Trump said. He was asked whether he knew that Allen's brother had notified New London Police Department about the alleged manifesto he had sent to his family members prior to the incident. Trump said he "heard" about it, adding the suspect's brother complained to law enforcement. Trump wished "they would have told us about it a little bit. But it is what it is."

Allen  graduated from the California Institute of Technology in 2017 with a degree in mechanical engineering and later earned a master’s degree from California State University, Dominguez Hills, in computer science in 2025. He worked as an engineer before becoming an independent game developer and part-time teacher. U.S.

Attorney for Washington, D.C., Jeanine Pirro said the suspect will be charged with two counts of using a firearm during a violent crime, along with a separate charge of assaulting a federal officer with a dangerous weapon. She added that additional charges are expected as the investigation continues.