Suspected gunman checked into WHCA dinner hotel night before event
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Suspected gunman Cole Allen checked into the Hilton Hotel, which hosted the White House Correspondents’ Dinner on Friday, just one day before the event, sources told Fox News.
Allen, 31, a computer scientist from Torrance, California, is accused of opening fire at the event attended by President Donald Trump. Initial reports say Secret Service agents fired 3-4 shots, and Allen fired at least one.
The FBI is conducting a ballistics investigation at its laboratory in Quantico, and authorities are also working with credit card companies to trace back purchases.
Allen initially spoke to police, but began refusing to talk as of Sunday morning, authorities said.
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Media and onlookers gather outside a home tied to shooting suspect Cole Tomas Allen during the White House Correspondents’ Dinner on Saturday night, April 25, 2026 in Torrance, CA. (Robbin Goddard/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
Sources say Allen is scheduled to make his first court appearance on Monday.
After his arrest Saturday night, Allen told law enforcement that he was targeted. Trump administration officialsAccording to senior federal law enforcement sources.
Sources said Allen planned to “hit Trump administration officials.”
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A suspect lies face down on the ground while being taken into custody by law enforcement following a security incident at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner on April 25, 2026 in Washington, DC. (@realDonaldTrump via Truth Social)
Authorities said Allen ran into a Secret Service checkpoint with several weapons at the event at the Washington Hilton. He then allegedly opened fire, attacking a Secret Service officer wearing a ballistic vest.
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said Sunday that authorities do not believe Allen was working with any accomplices. Trump said Saturday night that the attacker was a “lone wolf.”
“What President Trump said is, as of right now, that’s what we think, and the chief of police said the same thing,” Blanche told NBC’s “Meet the Press” on Sunday. he said. “But this is a 12, 13-hour investigation, and so those facts can and often do change. And if there’s someone else involved, we’re going to leave no stone unturned to find out everything we can about this.”
U.S. President Donald Trump speaks at a press conference in the Brady Briefing Room of the White House on April 25, 2026 in Washington, DC. President Trump is making a statement after the annual White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner was canceled following a possible shooting. (Nathan Howard/Getty Images)
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“But based on what we know right now, based on what we know based on what happened last night and the evidence we’ve collected so far, we don’t believe anyone else was involved, but we still have a lot of work left to do and a lot of evidence left to examine and collect,” Blanche added.
Fox News’ David Spunt contributed to this report.
