Image Credit: Andrew Harnik / Staff / Getty Images 
The gunman who attempted to storm the White House Correspondents’ Dinner assembled a “long weapon” in a room near the ballroom before opening fire, according to a volunteer at the event.
The volunteer, a woman called Helen Mabus, described a “makeshift room” near the entrance that had “no security.”
“He was in that room… he grabbed it [the gun] out of a bag or something,” Mabus said.
She added that the gun “was long” and “didn’t look like a typical gun.”
“He put it together and… ran towards the stairs to go down to the ballroom.”
The gunman then began firing in multiple directions: “shooting all over the place.” She estimates he fired “at least ten shots.”
The gunman has been identified as Cole Thomas Allen, a 31-year-old from California.
Allen hails from Torrance, California, close to Santa Monica, Los Angeles.
After graduating from the California Institute of Technology in 2017, Allen worked as a teacher while also developing video games.
In 2019, he registered the domain name “Bohrdom” for a game he made and released on Steam. It is described as a “skill-based, non-violent asymmetrical fighting game loosely derived from a chemistry model that is itself loosely based on reality.”
In 2025, he was awarded a master’s degree in computer science from California State University at Dominguez Hills.
On his LinkedIn page, Allen describes himself as a “mechanical engineer and computer scientist by degree, independent game developer by experience, teacher by birth.”
He lists his ”Causes” as ”Science and Technology.”
The Los Angeles Times is reporting that Allen made a $25 donation to ActBlue, a Democrat PAC, a month before Donald Trump’s 2024 election win.
FEC filings show that was his only political donation in the last ten years.
He is a registered voter, but not a member of a political party.
Allen’s neighbourhood is described as “super-super safe” by his neighbours, one of whom told The LA Times, “We see them every day and we just say hi and they’re very nice. They’re peaceful people, they don’t make any noise and when they see you they say hi.”
Another neighbour said he believed Allen is “on the spectrum”—meaning autistic.
Local media report a significant police presence at Allen’s home, including members of the FBI.
Allen is currently facing two charges; although he is likely to face “many more.”
“The defendant will be arraigned on Monday in federal district court, but make no mistake, there will be many more charges based upon the information that we are learning in this very fluid situation,” US Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro said during a press conference.
Pirro said the suspect will face a count of using a firearm during a crime of violence, and a count relating to assault on a federal officer with a deadly weapon.
Both the suspect and Secret Service agent were taken to hospital.
In a briefing at the White House, the President confirmed a Secret Service agent was shot, and said that he was “doing great.”
President Trump also said the suspect is from California, and that authorities were in the process of raiding his home.
Interim DC Chief of Police Jeff Carroll said the suspect was armed with a shotgun, handgun and multiple knives. He added that the man appeared to be acting alone.
