{"id":12294,"date":"2026-04-27T06:25:43","date_gmt":"2026-04-27T06:25:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wpinitiate.com\/echo-test\/demo973e36f5\/2026\/04\/27\/suspect-in-white-house-correspondents-dinner-shooting-wrote-of-targeting-trump-administration-nbc-news\/"},"modified":"2026-04-27T06:25:43","modified_gmt":"2026-04-27T06:25:43","slug":"suspect-in-white-house-correspondents-dinner-shooting-wrote-of-targeting-trump-administration-nbc-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wpinitiate.com\/echo-test\/demo973e36f5\/2026\/04\/27\/suspect-in-white-house-correspondents-dinner-shooting-wrote-of-targeting-trump-administration-nbc-news\/","title":{"rendered":"Suspect in White House Correspondents\u2019 dinner shooting wrote of targeting Trump administration – NBC News"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

The California teacher and engineer accused of opening fire outside the White House Correspondents\u2019 Association Dinner<\/a> believed it was his duty to target Trump administration officials, according to a note he sent family members about 10 minutes before the Saturday attack.<\/p>\n

Cole Tomas Allen, 31, who lives in the Los Angeles suburb of Torrance, is the armed suspect federal authorities subdued near the packed ballroom at the Washington Hilton, where President Donald Trump and other White House officials gathered with journalists, a federal official familiar with the case told NBC News.<\/p>\n

Follow along for live coverage<\/strong><\/em><\/a><\/p>\n

Allen was armed with a shotgun, handgun and knives when he rushed a security checkpoint and ran toward the ballroom where the black-tie dinner was being held, authorities said. He exchanged gunfire with law enforcement and was tackled to the ground.<\/p>\n

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said on \u201cMeet the Press\u201d on Sunday that authorities believe \u201cthe 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\u2019 dinner was at in the last day or two.\u201d<\/p>\n

The suspect\u2019s writings<\/strong><\/h2>\n

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, according to a transcript of some of Allen\u2019s writings provided to NBC News by a senior administration official.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t expect forgiveness,\u201d Allen wrote. \u201cAgain, my sincere apologies.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/picture><\/div>\n

In the note, Allen criticized Trump without mentioning him by name. He wrote about lax security at the hotel, saying he had expected more.<\/p>\n

He also described his \u201cexpected rules of engagement,\u201d writing: \u201cAdministration officials (not including Mr. Patel): they are targets, prioritized from highest-ranking to lowest.\u201d He appeared to be referring to FBI Director Kash Patel.<\/p>\n

Later, he added: \u201cI experience rage thinking about everything this administration has done.\u201d <\/p>\n

The senior administration official said that Allen\u2019s brother contacted the New London Police Department in Connecticut when he received the note.<\/p>\n

The department confirmed being contacted at around 10:49 p.m. Saturday, just over two hours after the shooting, \u201cby an individual who expressed concern about the incident that occurred at the White House Correspondents\u2019 Association Dinner earlier in the evening.\u201d Police contacted federal law enforcement and the caller was interviewed by authorities.<\/p>\n

Allen\u2019s sister told the Secret Service and Montgomery County Police after the shooting that her brother had a tendency to make radical statements and he had referred to a plan to do \u201csomething\u201d to fix the issues with today\u2019s world, the senior administration official said.<\/p>\n

A Bluesky account believed to belong to Allen and verified by NBC News included recent posts or reposts that were critical of Trump and his administration\u2019s policies, as well as of the U.S. war with Iran and Russia\u2019s war with Ukraine. <\/p>\n

Described as a \u2018borderline genius\u2019<\/strong><\/h2>\n

The suspect, who was not shot but was taken to a local hospital, is expected to be charged in federal court on Monday. In a press briefing shortly after the attack, Trump called<\/a> the suspected shooter a \u201cwhack job\u201d and a \u201clone wolf.\u201d<\/p>\n

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 his prestigious California university, before more recently developing video games and working as a part-time teacher.<\/p>\n

Allen attended Pacific Lutheran High School in Gardena, California, where he was known for his inquisitiveness and intellect, a former volleyball teammate told NBC News. While he had not seen Allen recently, he remembered Allen as a \u201cborderline genius\u201d and \u201csuper stable.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOther people study hard,\u201d said the ex-teammate, who spoke on the condition of anonymity out of fear it could affect his career. \u201cHe didn\u2019t have to study. It would just come to him. He was really, really smart.\u201d<\/p>\n

The former teammate said Allen was interested in coding and computers, but he was also a very good writer and seemed to be well-versed in several subjects.<\/p>\n

\u201cAcross the board, he was really knowledgeable, really curious,\u201d the ex-teammate said.<\/p>\n

The teammate said they lost touch with Allen once he went off to the California Institute of Technology, a private research university in Pasadena, California, but expressed surprise that he would be the suspect in Saturday\u2019s attack.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe was probably the most gentle person on the team, which makes it even more shocking that he did this,\u201d the ex-teammate said.<\/p>\n

Recently won \u2018teacher of the month\u2019<\/h2>\n

According to his LinkedIn profile, Allen graduated from the California Institute of Technology, commonly known as Caltech, in 2017 with a bachelor\u2019s degree in mechanical engineering. The school confirmed it had a record of a student named Cole Allen who graduated in 2017.<\/p>\n

While he was a Caltech student, Allen was a member of the winning group of the 31st annual Mechanical Engineering 72\u2009Design Competition<\/a>, which involved building robots that could play soccer. In the 2016 competition, his five-person group \u201cBlitzkrieg Bots\u201d<\/a> competed against four other teams for the \u201cTridroid Cup.\u201d<\/p>\n

Months later, Allen was featured in a local news report<\/a> for developing a prototype emergency brake for wheelchairs.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe wheelchair brakes tend to lock the wheels, but don\u2019t lock the chair to the ground. But with this device, that will prevent the chair from skidding at all,\u201d Allen told ABC7 in 2017.<\/p>\n

After graduating from Caltech, Allen worked for a year as a mechanical engineer before becoming an independent video game developer and later also a part-time teacher at C2 Education, a company dedicated to helping high schoolers get into college, according to the LinkedIn profile.<\/p>\n

In December 2024, C2 Education named Allen its \u201cteacher of the month<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n

That same year, Allen donated $25 to ActBlue with the memo \u201cEarmarked for Harris for President,\u201d according to Federal Election Commission filings. In the donation, he listed his occupation as teacher for C2 Education.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe were shocked to hear the news of the horrifying incident that transpired at the White House Correspondents\u2019 Dinner,\u201d C2 Education said in a statement. \u201cWe are cooperating fully with law enforcement to assist them in their investigation. Violence of any kind is never the answer.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Two<\/picture>
FBI tactical agents near a residence believed to be linked to suspect Cole Tomas Allen in Torrance, Calif., on Saturday night.<\/span>Apu Gomes \/ Getty Images<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The LinkedIn profile indicates Allen obtained his master\u2019s of science degree in computer science from California State University, Dominguez Hills in May 2025.<\/p>\n

In a statement, Cal State Dominguez Hills said it had a student by the same name who graduated from the school last year. It could not confirm he was the suspect in Saturday\u2019s shooting but said the school \u201cunequivocally condemns this act of violence.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSuch acts betray our values as a university and our commitment to fostering a safe environment for our campus communities,\u201d it said. <\/p>\n

Bin Tang, a professor in the university’s computer science department, confirmed that Allen took some of his classes and remembered him as being “a very good student” who paid attention and went to office hours. <\/p>\n

“Soft spoken, very polite, a good fellow,” he said in a statement. “I am very shocked to see the news.”<\/p>\n

Outside the classroom, according to his LinkedIn, Allen participated in the Caltech Christian Fellowship and Nerf Club.<\/p>\n

Dylan Wakayama, president of the Asian American Civic Trust, told NBC News that Allen tutored one student who volunteers at his Torrance-based nonprofit, as well as the sibling of another.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey described him as someone who was very intelligent,\u201d Wakayama said. \u201cThey never would have expected this.\u201d<\/p>\n

The student who received tutoring from Allen told Wakayama that she had met with him as recently as April 14 and there were no signs that anything was amiss.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s been that recent,\u201d she texted Wakayama Saturday night, according to him. \u201cBio, math, English, Science, literally everything.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s so smart,\u201d she added in the text, according to Wakayama.<\/p>\n

According to LinkedIn, Allen began working as a \u201cself-employed\u201d indie game developer in September 2018, and appears to have released an \u201catomic fighting game\u201d called Bohrdom<\/a> on Steam that year. In a trailer for the game, according to WIRED<\/a>, it is described as a \u201cnon-violent, skill-based, asymmetrical fighting game loosely based on a chemistry model that is itself loosely based on reality.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kept guns hidden from family<\/h2>\n

Paul Thompson, one of Allen\u2019s neighbors, said Allen lived with his parents and rode a blue moped around the area. He said Allen was \u201cnot necessarily friendly,\u201d but he hadn\u2019t noticed anything off about him. He added that Allen\u2019s \u201cparents are nice, friendly people,\u201d and the \u201cfather especially knows everybody.\u201d<\/p>\n

Records show that Allen purchased a Maverick 12 gauge shotgun in August 2025 and an Armscor Precision .38 semi-automatic pistol in October 2023.<\/p>\n

A senior law enforcement official told NBC News those were the two weapons they recovered from Allen on Saturday night.<\/p>\n

\"Two<\/picture>
Secret Service agents outside a home linked to Allen in Torrance, Calif., on Saturday night.<\/span>Jon Putman \/ Anadolu via Getty Images<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

In the interview with law enforcement, Allen\u2019s sister confirmed he purchased two handguns and a shotgun from CAP Tactical Firearms and kept them stored at their parents\u2019 home, according to a senior administration official. She added that their parents were unaware that Allen was keeping the firearms in the home.<\/p>\n

Allen regularly went to a shooting range to train with his firearms, and was a part of a group called \u201cThe Wide Awakes,\u201d the sister said in the interview, according to the official. His sister said he attended a \u201cNo Kings\u201d anti-Trump protest in California at some point.<\/p>\n

In the note to his family, Allen wrote about the type of ammunition he would use in \u201corder to minimize casualties.\u201d<\/p>\n

Federal charges<\/h2>\n

Jeanine Pirro, U.S. 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 \u201cmany more charges\u201d were expected to be filed.<\/p>\n

Late Saturday night local time, the FBI and Secret Service were at a home believed to be associated with Allen in Torrance, a city of around 140,000 residents in California\u2019s South Bay, about 15 miles southwest of downtown Los Angeles.<\/p>\n

The FBI executed a search warrant related to the incident, said Bill Essayli, first assistant U.S. attorney for the Central District of California.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/picture>
Reporters in the Los Angeles suburb of Torrance, Calif., on Sunday. <\/span>Apu Gomes \/ Getty Images<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Saturday\u2019s shooting rocked attendees of the White House Correspondents\u2019 Association dinner, an annual event attended by the Washington press corps, presidential administration staffers and celebrities.<\/p>\n

Trump had attended the dinner before he first became president but skipped it throughout his first term. Saturday was the first time he attended as president, and he was accompanied by first lady Melania Trump.<\/p>\n

They and others were seated at the front of the ballroom when video captured what sounded like at least five loud bangs before armed officers rushed in and hauled the president, first lady, Vice President JD Vance and others away while other attendees ducked down under tables.<\/p>\n

\u201cI heard a noise and sort of thought it was a tray. I thought it was a tray going down,\u201d Trump said from the White House briefing room Saturday night after the shooting.<\/p>\n

\u201cMelania was very cognizant, I think, of what happened,\u201d the president said. \u201cI think she knew immediately what happened. She was saying, \u2018That\u2019s a bad noise.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n
\n
<\/picture><\/a><\/div>\n

Garrett Haake is NBC News’ senior White House correspondent.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

Pilar Melendez is a breaking news editor for NBC News Digital who has spent the last decade covering crime, justice, and national news.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n
<\/picture><\/a><\/div>\n

Rich Schapiro is a reporter with the NBC News national security unit.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

Rudy Chinchilla is a breaking news editor for NBC News Digital.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

Colin Sheeley<\/p>\n

, <\/p>\n

Kelly O’Donnell<\/p>\n

, <\/p>\n

Tom Winter<\/p>\n

, <\/p>\n

Julia Ainsley<\/p>\n

, <\/p>\n

Bill Feather<\/p>\n

, <\/p>\n

Dareh Gregorian<\/p>\n

, <\/p>\n

Nyree Arabian<\/p>\n

, <\/p>\n

Griffin Eckstein<\/p>\n

and <\/p>\n

Jean Lee<\/p>\n

contributed<\/p>\n

.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The California teacher and engineer accused of opening fire outside the White House Correspondents\u2019 Association Dinner believed it was his duty to target Trump administration officials, according to a note he sent family members about 10 minutes before the Saturday attack. Cole Tomas Allen, 31, who lives in the Los Angeles suburb of Torrance, is […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":12295,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-12294","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wpinitiate.com\/echo-test\/demo973e36f5\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12294","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wpinitiate.com\/echo-test\/demo973e36f5\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wpinitiate.com\/echo-test\/demo973e36f5\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wpinitiate.com\/echo-test\/demo973e36f5\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wpinitiate.com\/echo-test\/demo973e36f5\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=12294"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/wpinitiate.com\/echo-test\/demo973e36f5\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12294\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wpinitiate.com\/echo-test\/demo973e36f5\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/12295"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wpinitiate.com\/echo-test\/demo973e36f5\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=12294"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wpinitiate.com\/echo-test\/demo973e36f5\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=12294"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wpinitiate.com\/echo-test\/demo973e36f5\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=12294"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}