New details emerge on suspected shooter in White House Correspondents’ Dinner incident targeting Donald Trump

Per both People and CBS News, the suspect wrote a “manifesto” of sorts that allegedly outlined his intention to target administrative officials at the gala dinner.

Per the written document, he stated that while he didn’t intend to target other attendees and members of the hotel staff, he wouldn’t risk not attacking them. “I really hope it doesn’t come to that,” he added.

An official from the White House told People: “The suspect’s written manifesto clearly stated he wanted to target administration officials.”

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche also explained during an appearance on Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan on Sunday that while they don’t have a clear motive just yet, “We do believe, based upon just a very preliminary start to understanding what happened, that he was targeting members of the administration.”

Per local news, his family members (specifically the suspect’s brother and sister) pointed to strange behavior that alerted them to a potential incident, leading his brother to call authorities to alert them on Saturday night.

The FBI also conducted a raid of his home in Torrance, California (pictured above) as well as his hotel room on the 10th floor of the Washington Hotel, the venue for the White House Correspondents’ Dinner. 

According to CBS, he had sent an email to several family members that alarmed them, apologizing for future incidents and including alleged statements like: “I apologize to my parents for saying I had an interview without specifying it was for ‘Most Wanted.'”

Per multiple reports, Cole Tomas Allen is a local teacher from the Los Angeles area, with a LinkedIn profile connected to him describing him as a part-time faculty member for C2 Education, a test prep and tutoring company.

According to the same profile, Cole graduated from the California Institute of Technology in 2017 with a bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering, and a master’s degree in Computer Science from California State University-Dominguez Hills last year.

Federal Election Commission records also show that Cole made a $25 donation to Kamala Harris’ presidential campaign in October 2024 as she ran against Trump. Alleged posts from his social media page also highlight “anti-Christian” messages, per latest reports.

An attendee told HELLO!: “There was quite the commotion. All the people ducked in their seats and USSS members were jumping through the crowd.”

“I heard a rumbling behind me. Hard to tell what it was – could have been gunshots from way out, upstairs in the lobby. Could’ve been the resulting commotion of whatever the incident was. And a floor up from a hard security checkpoint. There were soft checkpoints prior to the lobby.”