Suspect in White House Correspondents' Association dinner shooting identified

U.S. newsSuspect in White House Correspondents' Association dinner shooting identifiedCole Thomas Allen, 31, is accused of rushing a security checkpoint armed with a shotgun, handgun and several knives, and exchanging gunfire with police. Listen to this article with a free account00:0000:00Add NBC News to GoogleVideo shows suspect running through security and the response inside the ballroom01:48Get more newsLiveonShareAdd NBC News to GoogleApril 26, 2026, 2:35 AM EDTBy Rudy Chinchilla, Rich Schapiro and Bill FeatherThe man suspected of opening fire at officers during the White House Correspondents' Association dinner in Washington, D.C., on Saturday is a 31-year-old from Southern California, authorities said.Subscribe to read this story ad-free Get unlimited access to ad-free articles and exclusive content.The suspect was identified as Cole Thomas Allen, of Torrance, a federal official familiar with the case told NBC News.Allen was armed with a shotgun, handgun and multiple knives when he rushed a security checkpoint and ran toward the ballroom where the dinner was being held, said Jeff Carroll, interim police chief for the Metropolitan Police Department.He exchanged gunfire with law enforcement and was tackled to the ground, Carroll said. The suspect was not hurt, while a Secret Service officer was struck in his bulletproof vest but was expected to survive, authorities said. The officer was released from a local hospital after the shooting, a source said early Sunday. Allen’s motives in Saturday’s attack at the dinner — the first attended by President Donald Trump while in office — are unclear. Officials have said he has no criminal record and was not on the radar of law enforcement in Washington, D.C. A photograph shared on President Donald Trump's Truth Social account of the suspect who was apprehended during the White House Correspondents' Association dinner in Washington on Saturday.via Truth SocialAccording to his LinkedIn profile, Allen gradua...