President Donald Trump posted a photo of the suspected shooter in the attack on the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, calling him a “whack job” and a “sick person.”
The suspect has been identified as Cole Tomas Allen, a 31-year-old teacher from Torrance, California, according to two law enforcement officials who spoke with the Associated Press.
Trump said the suspect was armed with multiple weapons before being stopped by the Secret Service. One officer was shot, but he was protected by a bulletproof vest.
The agent was “shot from very close distance with a very powerful gun, and the vest did the job,” the president said during a press conference shortly after the incident.
Trump also posted a video showing the gunman racing past a checkpoint where Secret Service agents gave chase. “He was fast,” said Trump.
Investigators “seem to think he was a lone wolf,” Trump said, adding: “A whack job.”
Interim Washington Metropolitan Police Chief Jeffery Carroll said at a press conference that investigators believe the shooter was registered as a guest at the Washington Hilton, where the WHCD dinner has taken place every year for decades. It’s the same hotel where John Hinckley shot President Ronald Reagan in 1981.
The situation underscores the security challenges of hosting an event involving several top government officials at a massive hotel filled with unscreened guests.
CNN law enforcement analyst John Miller noted that the crime appears to have occurred with a significant amount of “advanced planning” involving the hotel room and several weapons that he may have planned to use in succession.
The shooter was carrying a shotgun, a handgun, and multiple knives, according to Carroll. While he was not struck by gunfire, he was transported to a local hospital for evaluation, Carroll noted.
U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro said at the press conference that the suspect has been charged with felony firearms and assault counts. Pirro was in the Hilton ballroom when the shooter charged through the checkpoint before he was tackled by Secret Service agents.
A Cole Allen, who looks like the man in the photo posted by Trump, reportedly won a Teacher of the Month award in Torrance two years ago.
According to election records, Allen made a single $25 contribution to the Kamala Harris presidential campaign via ActBlue, but he is also listed as a “no party preference” voter.
Everyone was evacuated from the event following the shooting, and the dinner will be rescheduled, Trump said.
