On the evening of April 25 in Washington, during the White House Correspondents’ Dinner attended by U.S. President Donald Trump, a shooting occurred. A man armed with a shotgun and a pistol opened fire and injured a security officer, but was unable to approach the protected high-ranking officials of the state.
The U.S. media reports say the alleged shooter was quickly apprehended. During initial interrogations, he stated that he intended to attack high-ranking representatives of the American government, although he did not directly mention Trump’s name. Attorney General Todd Blanche suggested that the U.S. President might also have been among the possible targets.
The BBC’s Russian Service — on the circumstances of the incident and the identity of the shooter. The detained individual was identified as Cole Thomas Allen, a 31-year-old resident of Torrance, in the Los Angeles area (California). His identity was established by law enforcement after the incident at the Washington Hilton hotel, where the event took place.
According to CBS sources, after his arrest, the man reported that he planned to open fire on members of Donald Trump’s administration.
Acting U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche stated on NBC that the suspect’s motives are still being investigated, but preliminary data indicates that his targets could have been administration officials, “possibly including the U.S. President.”
The investigation is also considering the possibility that the weapons may have been assembled directly at the hotel. According to Blanche, the suspect “did not manage to get far” and was effectively stopped immediately after penetrating the security zone. “He barely crossed the perimeter,” noted the prosecutor, adding that the man allegedly traveled to Washington via Los Angeles and Chicago.
President Donald Trump later stated that the attacker allegedly left an anti-Christian manifesto, calling him a “mentally unwell person who hates Christians.” The investigation continues to determine the exact motives.
No Casualties
According to CBS, between five and eight shots were fired during the shooting. In footage from surveillance cameras released by Donald Trump, a person is seen running past security, after which security personnel begin to pursue him.
Police previously reported that there was a shootout between security and the suspect, but the exact number of shots was not specified. It is known that during the incident, a Secret Service agent was injured, but survived thanks to a bulletproof vest.
Acting Washington Police Chief Jeffrey Carroll reported that the detainee did not receive gunshot wounds but was taken to the hospital for examination. He clarified that the man was a guest at the hotel and had a shotgun, a pistol, and several knives with him. “It appears he acted alone,” stated Carroll.
Later, Donald Trump published a photo of the arrest, showing the man lying on the floor with his hands cuffed, surrounded by Secret Service agents.
Who is Cole Thomas Allen?
The FBI and police conducted searches in California at an address associated with the suspect.
According to BBC Verify, which studies Allen’s online activity, he did not indicate a party affiliation in the voter registration data from Los Angeles County. However, in October 2024, he donated $25 through the ActBlue platform to Kamala Harris’s campaign.
On social media, Allen described himself as a mechanical engineer, game developer, and instructor. He studied at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech), participated in a Christian student community, and in 2025, earned a master’s degree in computer science from California State University, Dominguez Hills.
He also developed the game Bohrdom, published on Steam. His social media features family photos of Allen, including holiday and graduation pictures.
In December 2024, he was named “Instructor of the Month” by the educational company C2 Education, where he worked as a part-time instructor since 2020.
U.S. Attorney for DC, Ms. Jeanine Pirro, reported that Allen was charged with two counts — using a firearm during a violent crime and assaulting a federal officer with a dangerous weapon. It is expected that official charges will be filed on April 27 in federal court.
