Local news outlets have identified the White House Correspondents’ Dinner shooting suspect as Cole Tomas Allen, with US President Donald Trump describing the 31-year-old as a “very sick person”.
On Saturday (US time), the US President, alongside his wife, Melania Trump and other cabinet members, were evacuated from the Washington Hilton ballroom while journalists and other guests ducked for cover after loud bangs interrupted the White House Correspondents’ Dinner.
Per The Guardian, US Secret Service officers had their guns drawn as they rushed White House Pool reporters out of the ballroom, with mentions of “shots fired”.
Shortly after he was successfully evacuated, Trump confirmed on Truth Social — his version of X — that the alleged “shooter has been apprehended”.
An hour later, Trump confirmed one officer had been shot but was “saved by the fact that he was wearing an obviously very good bulletproof vest”.
“He was shot from a very close distance with a very powerful gun, and the vest did the job,” he said, per The Guardian.
Following the alleged shooters’ arrest, Washington DC mayor Muriel Bowser confirmed that the suspect had been transported to a hospital where he would be “evaluated”.
“We have no reason to believe at this time that anyone else was involved,” she told journalists.
The alleged White House Correspondents’ Dinner shooter identified
The shooting suspect, per the Associated Press, who cited “two law enforcement officials”, has been identified as 31-year-old Cole Tomas Allen.
Jeff Carroll, acting chief of police of the Metropolitan police department, said Allen appeared to have been a “lone” shooter, and that there “does not appear to be any sort of danger to the public at this point”.
Trump then took to Truth Social again, sharing images of the alleged shooter, including CCTV footage of what appeared to be the suspect running through a security checkpoint.
Carroll also claimed that the alleged shooter was armed with a shotgun, a handgun and had multiple knives.
Anthony Albanese releases a statement regarding the White House Correspondents’ Dinner
Taking to X, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese wrote that he’s “pleased to hear the President and the First Lady, along with all attendees at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, are safe”.
“We applaud the work of the Secret Service and law enforcement agencies for their swift action,” he penned.
Per ABC News, US Attorney for Washington, Jeanine Pirro, said the suspect will be formally charged on Monday, and said that he will be charged with two counts of using a firearm during a crime of violence, and a second crime of assault on a federal officer using a dangerous weapon.
“It is clear, based upon what we know so far, this individual was intent on doing as much harm and as much damage as he could,” she said, per the publication, before adding that “there will be many more charges based upon the information that we are learning in this very fluid situation”.
A crime scene has since been established at a Torrance, California address, which is believed to be connected to Allen.
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