Caltech Graduate, Teacher of the Month, Game Developer... Who Is the Suspect in the Trump Shooting?

The suspect arrested for shooting at the White House Correspondents' Association dinner event on the 25th (local time), which was attended by U.S. President Donald Trump, has been identified as a man in his 30s who is an elite instructor and a graduate of a prestigious engineering university. He also has experience as a teacher and video game developer.

According to CNN on April 26, the suspect is Cole Thomas Allen, 31, from Torrance, California. Allen was arrested while armed near the venue of the White House Correspondents' Association dinner, held at the Washington Hilton Hotel in Washington, D.C.

Suspect Cole Thomas Allen, who was arrested for shooting at the White House Correspondents' Association dinner event on the 25th (local time). Photo by Reuters Yonhap News

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Based on a profile believed to have been posted by Allen on the job networking site LinkedIn, he worked as a part-time instructor at the test preparation and tutoring company C2 Education. In December 2024, Allen was also selected as "Teacher of the Month" at this company.

He received a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering from the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) in 2017. Last year, he earned a master's degree in computer engineering from California State University, Dominguez Hills. While attending Caltech in 2017, he was featured in local news for developing a prototype of an emergency braking device for wheelchairs.

Allen also participated in indie game development. He described himself as a video game developer on LinkedIn, and there are indications that he has been selling an indie game called "Bohrdom" on the Steam platform for $1.99 (about 3,000 won).

His political activity has also come to light. According to records from the Federal Election Commission, Allen donated $25 (about 37,000 won) to the campaign of Kamala Harris, who was the Democratic presidential candidate in October 2024.

Meanwhile, after the gunshots were heard at the event, President Trump quickly evacuated and later held a press conference at the White House to explain the situation firsthand. He said, "A man, armed with several weapons, rushed toward the security checkpoint and was subdued by very brave Secret Service agents." He added, "It appears highly likely that the suspect acted alone" and described him as "someone with very severe mental health issues."

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