White House Correspondents' Dinner gunman was excellent teacher, held Caltech degree
The suspect in the White House Correspondents' Association dinner shooting, Cole Tomas Allen, is revealed to be a former excellent teacher and a Caltech graduate, also working as a video game developer.
📋 Article Processing Timeline
- 📰 Published: April 26, 2026 at 15:09
- 🔍 Collected: April 26, 2026 at 15:31 (21 min after Published)
- 🤖 AI Analyzed: April 26, 2026 at 16:42 (1h 10m after Collected)
Central News Agency
(Central News Agency, Washington 25th, Comprehensive Foreign Report) According to public records, the man suspected of opening fire at the White House Correspondents' Association dinner tonight is from Southern California, previously worked as a teacher, and was involved in video game development.
Two informed sources told CNN that law enforcement agencies have identified 31-year-old Cole Tomas Allen, who lives in Torrance, a suburb of Los Angeles, as the armed man apprehended near the dinner where President Trump and other officials were gathered.
A LinkedIn profile matching his name and photo shows Allen as a part-time teacher at the educational tutoring institution C2 Education. The company's social media posts indicate that Allen was awarded "Teacher of the Month" in December 2024. CNN called the company tonight but was unable to get a response.
According to his LinkedIn profile, Allen earned a Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering from the California Institute of Technology in 2017 and a Master's degree in Computer Science from California State University Dominguez Hills last year.
While studying at Caltech in 2017, he was featured in local news for developing a prototype emergency braking device for wheelchairs.
According to records from the U.S. Federal Election Commission (FEC), Allen donated $25 (approximately NT$790) to Kamala Harris's presidential campaign in October 2024.
Allen also identifies himself as a video game developer on his LinkedIn profile and appears to have released an indie game called Bohrdom on the Steam gaming platform, priced at $1.99. According to federal trademark records, he registered a trademark for the game name in 2018.
Allen wrote on LinkedIn that he is "currently developing a second game, tentatively titled "First Law." (Compiled by: Chen Yu-ting) 1150426
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(Central News Agency, Washington 25th, Comprehensive Foreign Report) According to public records, the man suspected of opening fire at the White House Correspondents' Association dinner tonight is from Southern California, previously worked as a teacher, and was involved in video game development.
Two informed sources told CNN that law enforcement agencies have identified 31-year-old Cole Tomas Allen, who lives in Torrance, a suburb of Los Angeles, as the armed man apprehended near the dinner where President Trump and other officials were gathered.
A LinkedIn profile matching his name and photo shows Allen as a part-time teacher at the educational tutoring institution C2 Education. The company's social media posts indicate that Allen was awarded "Teacher of the Month" in December 2024. CNN called the company tonight but was unable to get a response.
According to his LinkedIn profile, Allen earned a Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering from the California Institute of Technology in 2017 and a Master's degree in Computer Science from California State University Dominguez Hills last year.
While studying at Caltech in 2017, he was featured in local news for developing a prototype emergency braking device for wheelchairs.
According to records from the U.S. Federal Election Commission (FEC), Allen donated $25 (approximately NT$790) to Kamala Harris's presidential campaign in October 2024.
Allen also identifies himself as a video game developer on his LinkedIn profile and appears to have released an indie game called Bohrdom on the Steam gaming platform, priced at $1.99. According to federal trademark records, he registered a trademark for the game name in 2018.
Allen wrote on LinkedIn that he is "currently developing a second game, tentatively titled "First Law." (Compiled by: Chen Yu-ting) 1150426
Stand with facts, every sponsorship of yours is a force to protect press freedom.
Download the Central News Agency "First-hand News" APP to stay updated with the latest news.
The text, images, and audio/video on this website may not be reproduced, publicly broadcast, or publicly transmitted and used without authorization.