A 31-year-old man, Cole Thomas Allen, is in custody after a shooting at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner in Washington, DC. Authorities are investigating his background and possible motives, according to media reports late Saturday.
Reports, citing official statements and eyewitness accounts, said Allen is from California. This was later confirmed by US President Donald Trump, who described the suspect as “a very sick person,” and said he was believed to have acted alone.
Trump, along with First Lady Melania Trump and several Cabinet members, was escorted out of the Washington Hilton ballroom by Secret Service agents during the incident. Shortly after, Trump said the suspect had been “apprehended” and shared images showing him on the ground, as well as blurry security footage of a person running past security.
Officials said the suspect carried multiple weapons, including a shotgun, a handgun, and several knives. Metropolitan Police interim chief Jeff Carroll said the suspect was also a guest at the hotel hosting the event.
Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser said the suspect reportedly “rushed a Secret Service checkpoint” in a lobby before officers stopped him.
An officer was shot during the incident but survived because of his bulletproof vest.
“He was shot from very close distance with a very powerful gun, and the vest did the job,” Trump said, adding that the officer was “in great shape.”
Witnesses gave further details about what happened before the shooting. A volunteer at the event, Helen Mabus, told the New York Post that the suspect appeared to assemble a “long” weapon in a lightly monitored area near a terrace-level entrance.
“He grabbed it out of a bag or something … it was long and didn’t look like a typical gun,” she said.
Mabus added that the suspect was partly out of sight of security while handling the weapon in a “makeshift room” used for storing bar carts.
“He put it together and … ran towards the stairs to go down to the ballroom,” she said.
She said the suspect then began firing in different directions, estimating that she heard at least 10 shots.
“It just seemed like he was shooting all over the place,” she said, describing panic among guests.
Authorities later arrested the suspect and took him to a hospital for evaluation.
Jeanine Pirro said the suspect would face two charges and is expected to appear in federal court on Monday. Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said more charges could follow as the investigation continues.
FBI Director Kash Patel, who was also at the dinner, said the agency had started reviewing the suspect’s background and would “analyze all evidence immediately.”
Authorities said there was no clear motive at first. However, CBS News reported that Allen told security officials after his arrest that he intended to target Trump administration officials.
According to the report, he did not say he was specifically targeting Trump, but said he was after “administration officials.”
The suspect is reported to have a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science from California State University. A person with the same name appears in the May 2025 graduation program of California State University, Dominguez Hills.
Law enforcement sources cited by CBS News said Allen worked as a teacher at C2 Education, a private tutoring service in Torrance, and was named “Teacher of the Month” in December 2024. It is not clear if he still worked there at the time of the shooting.
Shooting at the White House Correspondents Dinner
The shooting happened during the annual White House Correspondents’ Dinner at the Washington Hilton Hotel, attended by the president, senior officials, and journalists.
Witnesses said they heard loud “pop, pop, pop” sounds, causing guests to hide under tables as security responded.
Trump, the first lady, Vice President JD Vance, and Cabinet members were quickly evacuated from the head table, while other guests stayed inside the ballroom.
Secret Service agents and other law enforcement officers secured the area, stopped the suspect, and took him into custody. The event was halted following the incident.
