A law enforcement officer sets up police tape near an address connected to Cole Tomas Allen, the shooting suspect at the White House Correspondents Dinner on Saturday, April 25, 2026, in Torrance, Calif. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)
A law enforcement officer sets up police tape near an address connected to Cole Tomas Allen, the shooting suspect at the White House Correspondents Dinner on Saturday, April 25, 2026, in Torrance, Calif. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)
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Members of law enforcement respond during the White House Correspondents Dinner, Saturday, April 25, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Tom Brenner)
WASHINGTON (AP) â Social media posts that appear to match the California man arrested Saturday in the shooting at the White House correspondentsâ dinner show he is a highly educated tutor and amateur video game developer.
A May 2025 profile photo of Cole Tomas Allen of Torrance, California, appears to match the appearance of the man in a photo of the alleged attacker being taken into custody that was posted Saturday night by President Donald Trump. The photo, posted to the social networking site LinkedIn, shows him in a cap and gown after graduating with a masterâs degree in computer science from California State University-Dominguez Hills.
Allen, 31, earned a bachelorâs degree in 2017 in mechanical engineering from the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. He listed his involvement there in a Christian student fellowship and a campus group that battled with Nerf guns.
Bin Tang, a computer science professor at California State University-Dominguez Hills, told The Associated Press that Allen took a few of his classes before graduating.
âHe was a very good student indeed, always sitting in the first row of my class, paying attention, and frequently emailing me with coursework questions. Soft spoken, very polite, a good fellow. I am very shocked to see the news,â Tang wrote in an email.
A local ABC station in Los Angeles included an interview with Allen during his senior year of college as about new technologies to help people as they age. He had developed a prototype for a new type of emergency brake for wheelchairs.
Allen contributed $25 to a Democratic Party political action committee in support of Kamala Harris for president in 2024, according to federal campaign finance records.
Allen's online resume says he worked for the last six years at C2 Education, a company that offers admissions counseling and test preparation services to aspiring college students. A 2024 post on the companyâs Facebook page listed Allen as the companyâs teacher of the month. The company did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment Saturday night.
Allen also posted that he had developed a video game for the Steam platform based on molecular chemistry. A post under Allenâs name said he was working to develop a new âtop-down shooterâ combat game set in outer space.
