WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump is addressing reporters at the White House after he and other top leaders of the United States were evacuated from an annual dinner of White House correspondents on Saturday night after a shooting incident outside the ballroom.
The shooting suspect was identified as Cole Tomas Allen, 31, of Torrance, California, two law enforcement officials told The Associated Press.
Trump said the suspect was armed with multiple weapons before stopped by Secret Service. One officer was shot, but he was protected by a bulletproof vest.
“He was shot from very close distance with a very powerful gun, and the vest did the job,” Trump said.
The president posted a photo of the suspect on Truth Social.
Jeffery Carroll, the interim DC police chief, said that he could not say at this point what the shooter’s motivation was, and that it is too soon to know who the suspect had intended to target in the shooting. Carroll said he was believed to be a hotel guest.
U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro said the suspect is being charged preliminarily with two charges related to using a firearm and assaulting an officer with a dangerous weapon, but that there will be many more charges filed “based on the information that we are learning in this very fluid situation.”
Pirro said the suspect would be arraigned on Monday in federal district court.
A Cole Tomas Allen was listed in the May 2025 commencement program for California State University, Dominguez Hills as a Master of Science in Computer Science graduate.
A December 2024 Facebook post by tutoring company C2 Education of Torrance named a Cole Allen as “Teacher of the Month.”
Southern California News Group reporter Victoria Le contributed to this story.