Torrance, California — A california man was arrested in White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner Shooting He is a higher education teacher and amateur video game developer who opposes politics President Donald Trump.
Authorities say Cole Thomas Allen of Torrance, California, was taken into custody during the dinner party Saturday night in Washington attended by Trump and senior members of his administration. A social media profile of a man with the same name and a photo that appears identical to that of the suspect shows that he has worked part-time for the past six years at a company that provides admissions counseling and test preparation services to aspiring college students.
In a letter sent to family members minutes before the attack, the 31-year-old described himself as a “friendly federal killer” and criticized recent actions taken by the U.S. government under Trump, though he did not directly name the Republican president, according to a copy obtained by The Associated Press.
The writings included over a thousand words and read like a deeply personal, rambling letter, beginning almost paradoxically with an informal “Hello, everyone!” Before moving on to apologize to family members, co-workers, fellow travelers and even strangers who he feared might fall victim to the violence. The note moved between confession, grievance and farewell, with Allen thanking the people in his life even as he sought to explain the attack.
Elsewhere, the document veered between political outrage, religious justifications, and refutations of imagined critics, at times reading as if he was arguing with critics in real time.
Authorities said Allen will face charges that include use of a firearm during the commission of a violent crime and assault on a federal officer, among other potential charges. A search of state and federal court databases showed no indication that Allen had previously been charged with a crime.
He signed the document using a nickname that matched his since-deleted social media accounts. An old account using the same name on the Bluesky platform reposted others who had made comments critical of Trump as well as members of the media attending the annual dinner.
The Associated Press limits the use of attackers’ writings and social media posts to avoid amplifying their views or encouraging copycat actions. The AP chooses to summarize its words and focus primarily on the victims and investigations.
Allen was arrested Saturday night while trying to get past a security checkpoint with two firearms and knives. Law enforcement officials told the AP that Allen legally purchased a .38-caliber semi-automatic handgun in October 2023 and a 12-gauge shotgun last year.
Voter registration records from California list Allen’s home address as his parents’ home on a tree-lined street in one of the most historic neighborhoods in Torrance, a city within the Los Angeles metro area. Public records show he is the eldest of four adult siblings, and has two younger sisters and a brother.
There were two cars parked in the driveway Sunday morning. A blue scooter that a neighbor said Allen rode was on the front lawn. No one answered the door when an Associated Press reporter knocked. By the afternoon, several people who appeared to be law enforcement agents were walking around the neighborhood, one of whom was wearing an FBI sweatshirt.
There is a yard sign displayed at the family home supporting a local candidate for judge who has been endorsed by the Los Angeles County Democratic Party. Federal campaign finance records show Cole Allen contributed $25 to a Democratic political action committee to support Kamala Harris for president in 2024 and listed his employer as C2 Education.
A 2024 post on C2’s Facebook page listed Allen as the company’s Teacher of the Month. The company did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment Saturday night, and an office in Torrance was closed Sunday.
Allen’s LinkedIn profile photo shows him wearing a cap and gown as he graduated with a master’s degree in computer science from California State University, Dominguez Hills. The photo appears to have been taken in May 2025. Ben Tang, a computer science professor at the school, told the AP that Allen took a number of his classes.
“He was a very good student indeed, always sitting in the front row of my class, paying attention, and often emailing me with coursework questions. Soft-spoken, very polite, and a good classmate,” Tang wrote in an email. “I was very shocked when I saw the news.”
In 2017, he obtained a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, according to his profile on the social networking site LinkedIn. The small university is academically prestigious with a very low acceptance rate. He also mentioned his involvement there in a campus group that clashed with Nerf guns and the Fellowship of Christian Students.
The suspect’s father, Thomas Allen, is listed as an elder at Grace United Reformed Church in Torrance. The congregation’s web page describes it as a “Bible-believing church” that follows “the infallible Word of God.” Security guards stationed in the sanctuary during Sunday worship services escorted parishioners to the door and kept reporters away.
Allen also posted that he had developed a video game for the Steam platform based on molecular chemistry. A post bearing Allen’s name stated that he was working on developing a new “top-down shooting” combat game set in outer space.
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Bissecker and Tucker reported from Washington. Associated Press writers Michael Balsamo, Michael Konzelman, Brian Slodesko and Byron Tao in Washington contributed to this report.