While authorities aren’t convinced of his motive, the actions of a gunman at Saturday night’s White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner has fueled a wave of speculation regarding the latest apparent attempt on President Trump’s life.

The suspect, 31-year-old Cole Tate, has been identified as a resident of Torrence, California, and is accused of entering the  DC ballroom with a shotgun and knives, exchanging fire with security personnel before he was apprehended.

NBC News provided the latest updates:

According to his LinkedIn profile, Allen graduated from the California Institute of Technology, a prestigious private research university in Pasadena, California, in 2017 with a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering. The school, commonly known as Caltech, confirmed it had a record of a student named Cole Allen who graduated in 2017.

The LinkedIn profile indicates he obtained his masters of science degree in computer science from California State University, Dominguez Hills in May 2025.

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After graduating from Caltech, Allen worked for a year as a mechanical engineer, before becoming an independent video game developer and later also a part-time teacher at a company dedicated to helping high schoolers get into college, according to the LinkedIn profile.

A former high school volleyball teammate described Allen as a “borderline genius” and “super stable.”

Allen attended Pacific Lutheran High School in Gardena, California, where he was known for his inquisitiveness and intellect, the former teammate told NBC News.

“Other people study hard,” said the ex-teammate, who spoke on the condition of anonymity out of fear it could affect his career. “He didn’t have to study. It would just come to him. He was really, really smart.”

The former teammate said Allen was especially interested in coding and computers, but he was also a very good writer and seemed to be well-versed in a number of subjects.

“Across the board, he was really knowledgeable, really curious,” the ex-teammate said.

Attorney General Jeanine Pirro spoke shortly after the shooting, confirming the charges that will be pursued by the Justice Department against the suspect:

Backup here if needed:

Meanwhile, world leaders joined in condemning the act of violence:

Trump, who urged Americans to put aside their differences in the wake of the latest shooting, also provided updates on the ongoing investigation, as The Independent reported:

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In a Truth Social post, Trump said the assailant had been apprehended and posted a photo of the suspect on the ground at the hotel. Police said Allen was armed with a shotgun, a handgun and multiple knives.

“They seem to think he’s a lone wolf, and I feel that too,” Trump said at a press briefing after the event.

Here’s what we know so far about the man police said fired shots at the dinner:

Multiple sources identified the suspect as Allen, a 31-year-old from Torrance, California, on the outskirts of Los Angeles, close to Santa Monica.

Allen, a 2017 graduate of California Institute of Technology, was working as a teacher at the time of his arrest while also developing computer games. In 2019, he registered the domain name “Bohrdom” for a game he created 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 attained a master’s degree in computer science from ‌California ⁠State University at Dominguez Hills in 2025.

And here’s a clip of authorities at the suspect’s home on the opposite coast:

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This is a Guest Post from our friends over at WLTReport. View the original article here.
 

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