Accused WH correspondents’ dinner attacker is tutor and computer programmer from California
WASHINGTON (AP) — Social media posts matching California man arrested Saturday Shooting at White House correspondents’ dinner shows him to be a highly educated teacher and amateur video game developer.
The May 2025 profile photo of Cole Tomas Allen, of Torrance, California, matches the appearance of the man in the photo of the alleged attacker in custody released by President Donald Trump on Saturday night. In the photo posted on social networking site LinkedIn, he is seen wearing a cap and gown after graduating from California State University-Dominguez Hills with a master’s degree in computer science.
Allen, 31, earned a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena in 2017. He noted that he was involved in a Christian student community there and a campus group that tackled Nerf guns.
A local ABC station in Los Angeles included an interview with Allen during his senior year of college. part of a story It’s about new technologies that will help people as they age. He had developed a prototype of a new type of emergency brake for wheelchairs.
Allen contributed $25 to the Democratic Party’s political action committee to support Kamala Harris for president in 2024, according to federal campaign finance records.
Allen’s online resume states that he has worked for C2 Education, a company that provides admissions counseling and test preparation services to college students, for the past six years. A 2024 post on the company’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.
Allen also stated that he is developing an improvement. video game For the Steam platform based on molecular chemistry. A post under Allen’s name stated that he was working to develop a new “top-down shooter” war game set in space.
