Suspected gunman at White House press dinner named

FBI agents near a residence believed to be linked to the suspect. Photograph: Apu Gomes/Getty ImagesView image in fullscreenFBI agents near a residence believed to be linked to the suspect. Photograph: Apu Gomes/Getty ImagesWhite House correspondents' dinner shootingSuspected gunman at White House press dinner namedLaw enforcement agencies name Cole Tomas Allen as Trump posts video of man sprinting through checkpoint US politics live – latest updates George Chidi and Robyn VinterSun 26 Apr 2026 12.58 EDTFirst published on Sun 26 Apr 2026 08.12 EDTSharePrefer the Guardian on GoogleThe suspected gunman in the shooting at the White House correspondents’ dinner that has roiled Washington has been identified as Cole Tomas Allen, a 31-year-old man from southern California.Allen, of Torrance, a suburb of Los Angeles, has no record of criminal charges or a civil court history in Los Angeles county, according to a records search.US officials have not yet publicly confirmed the suspect’s identity. A LinkedIn profile with the name “Cole Allen” showed a picture of a man which appeared to match the photo shared by Donald Trump.On the social media profile, Allen said he was an engineer with a passion for game development, based in the Los Angeles metropolitan area.“Mechanical engineer and computer scientist by degree, independent game developer by experience, teacher by birth,” according to his profile, which noted that he had an undergraduate degree from the California Institute of Technology. The profile also states Allen achieved a masters in computer science from California State University, Dominguez Hills, last year.Video posted to the Truth Social platform by the president on Saturday evening showed surveillance footage of a man sprinting through a Secret Service checkpoint near the main magnetometer metal detector screening area just outside the main ballroom of the Washington Hilton, the venue for the event. Agents can be seen drawing weapons and opening fire as he runs past. Trump also posted a picture of a shirtless man then lying on the floor as if apprehended.Trump rushed off stage at White House correspondents' dinner as gunshots heardJeffery Carroll, the interim police chief for the city’s metropolitan police department, told reporters at a press conference that the suspect was tackled to the ground by law enforcement officers. Carroll added that the suspect was not hit by gunfire but did exchange shots with an officer who was struck while wearing a bulletproof vest. The officer had been released from hospital on Sunday morning.Muriel Bowser, the mayor of Washington DC, said at a press conference the suspect was in custody and there was no reason to believe that anyone else was involved in the incident.Carroll said investigators believed the suspect was armed with a shotgun, a handgun and knives. He also said the suspect was believed to have been a guest at the hotel and was involved in an altercation as he tried to get into the event.“We do believe he was a guest here at the hotel. We have secured a room here in the hotel, and again, we’ll go through the appropriate procedures to determine what was inside there,” Carroll said.Map showing the location of the Washington HiltonJeanine Pirro, the US attorney for the District of Columbia, the area’s chief prosecutor, said the defendant was being charged with two counts, would be arraigned on Monday and probably face further charges.“It is clear, based upon what we know so far, this…

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