![Security personnel respond to an incident at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner. [Photo=AP·Yonhap]](https://image.ajunews.com/content/image/2026/04/26/20260426133340422121.jpg)
CNN, citing two sources, reported on 25 (local time) that the suspect in the shooting at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner venue has been identified as a 31-year-old man named Cole Tomas Allen.
According to the report, Allen is an instructor and game developer who lives in Torrance, outside Los Angeles. A LinkedIn profile lists him as a part-time instructor at the private tutoring company C2 Education, and shows he received the company’s “Instructor of the Month” award in December 2024.
CNN also reported, citing Federal Election Commission records, that Allen donated $25 to Kamala Harris, the Democratic presidential candidate in the 2024 election. The report said he studied mechanical engineering at the California Institute of Technology and earned a master’s degree in computer science last year from California State University, Dominguez Hills.
After the shooting, the Secret Service said the suspect was arrested and is being held. In a statement, Secret Service spokesman Anthony Guglielmi said all protectees, including the president and first lady, were safe and that the suspect was in custody.
Two sources said the gunman fired from outside the venue, injuring one Secret Service agent. The agent was hit but was wearing a bulletproof vest and is not expected to have life-threatening injuries.
The shooting is believed to have occurred outside the banquet hall near a rear staircase on the side opposite the stage. President Trump and first lady Melania Trump quickly left the stage under Secret Service escort.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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