Update: Gunman Stopped Before Reaching WHCA Dinner Named
The shooter has been identified as Cole Tomas Allen, 31, of Torrance, California, two law enforcement officials told the AP.
President Donald Trump on Saturday night praised the Secret Service and law enforcement after an armed man charged a security checkpoint at the Washington Hilton, where the White House Correspondents’ Association (WHCA) dinner was being held. One officer was shot at close range but was saved by his bulletproof vest. The suspect, believed to be a California resident, was taken into custody.
“He was taken down by some very brave members of Secret Service — they acted very quickly. One officer was shot, but the vest did the job.”
Trump said he personally called the injured officer, who he described as being in great spirits. Video of the incident was released shortly after on Truth Social and other platforms.
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) April 26, 2026
Trump, who was seated next to First Lady Melania Trump when the shooting occurred, said the two were rushed off stage within seconds. He credited Secret Service with a near-flawless response and directly compared it to the July 2024 assassination attempt in Butler, Pennsylvania, where a gunman opened fire at a campaign rally, killing one attendee and grazing Trump’s ear. Trump said tonight’s response was sharper, noting the suspect never came close to breaching the ballroom. He also referenced a second attempt months later in Palm Beach, Florida.
“Butler had one weak spot — somebody should have been up there,” Trump said. “Tonight, they had everything covered very quickly.”
Despite the chaos, Trump said the WHCA dinner brought together people from across the political spectrum and that the room unified in its aftermath.
“I saw a room that was just totally unified — Republicans, Democrats, independents. There was a tremendous amount of love and coming together.”
President Trump posted to social media a photo of law enforcement detaining a suspect in the shooting incident at the White House Correspondents' Dinner on Saturday night.
Read more: https://t.co/S9UxcY1G4B pic.twitter.com/ppMiHhcbyr
— ABC News (@ABC) April 26, 2026
Attorney General Todd Blanche confirmed charges are forthcoming, including counts tied to the shooting and firearms possession, and indicated prosecutors will pursue every applicable charge.
“There will be multiple charges around the shooting, around the possession of firearms, and anything else we can get on this guy,” Blanche said. “Justice will be served.”
FBI Director Kash Patel said agents have taken over the Evidence Response Unit on scene, are processing ballistics, including a recovered long gun and shell casings, and are actively interviewing witnesses. Anyone with information is urged to call 1-800-CALL-FBI.
Trump said the suspect appeared to be a “lone wolf,” though officials stressed the investigation remains in its early stages. More details on the suspect’s background and possible motive are expected within 24 to 48 hours.
Trump closed by vowing to reschedule the dinner within 30 days.
“We’re not going to let anybody take over our society. We’re going to do it again… bigger and better.”
UPDATE: 11:49 PM SET: The shooter has been identified as Cole Tomas Allen, 31, of Torrance, California, two law enforcement officials told the AP.
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“Trump closed by vowing to reschedule the dinner within 30 days. “We’re not going to let anybody take over our society.”
The left is graduating from the Heckler’s Veto to the Heckler & Koch Veto.
Well played, sir!
California? He’s 70% convicted already.
Do you wonder if the SPLC bought him a plane ticket? 🤣
If not the DNC directly.
Subotai Bahadur
Looks like another of those white supremacists we are always being warned about.
processing ballistics, including a recovered long gun and shell casings
A “long gun”?!? Do they mean a Short Barreled Rifle? Or did he actually get all the way to the Hilton through D.C. with an actual rifle (16″ barrel) or shotgun (18″)? (It’s possible, but not easy, IMO.) Or was it stashed somewhere else and they found it after the incident? Also, if he used a “long gun” and the USSS agent’s vest stopped it, very good job, indeed.
That little detail has me scratching my head.
Apparently he had a shotgun, a handgun, and multiple knives.
I wonder if he also had a rape whistle and some adult toys? Or maybe that’s reserved for the democrat party’s Minnesota brown shirts?
OK, how did he get from CA to DC, if he flew he most likely had the weapons waiting for him
By AmTrak….
https://www.amtrak.com/firearms-in-checked-baggage
It’s just like traveling by commercial airlines.
I’ve just noticed a soon-to-be closed loophole with AmTrak. I’ve flown to New York and D.C. under LEOSA. The airlines have held my luggage in a side room next to the luggage pickup area. There has always been a LEO to greet me so he can sort out who I am.
Apparently the process isn’t done at the AmTrak stations?
It’s pretty easy to fly with guns, I’ve done it plenty of times. You just have to check them and have them stored in a locked hard case.
He likely drove. It takes a few days. If I needed to get somewhere, 1,000-1,200 miles in 24 hours was my usual distance.
Sister: “She said he had purchased two handguns and a shotgun, which he stored at their parents’ home without their knowledge, and that he regularly trained at a shooting range.
She also told authorities that Allen was affiliated with a group called “The Wide Awakes” and had attended a “No Kings” protest in California.”. Also “He/Him” …now “Was/Were”.
If so, he passed all the required legal steps (barriers) to acquiring the handguns. Safety course required, background check, waiting period…. won’t hear about that as a devout Dem. What..no “assault” weapon? Fortunately stopped…. the shotgun was far more problematic in close quarters (don’t pass that along to Cali polis).
This is clearly fake news. I’ve been informed by Handgun Control, Inc. (or whatever pseudonym they’re using today) that the District of Columbia has the BEST victim disarmament (excuse me, “gun control”) laws available. It’s un-possible for someone to unlawfully have unregistered firearms in the District or to carry them with extensive background checks. This never happened.
GWB:
– The current narrative is that he “trekked” from KKKalifornia (method unspecified, I’m guessing that he drove rather than actually trekked which would mean walking).
– He got the shotgun down from his room in the Hilton in a bag and according to one (not really very good) witness assembled it in a temporary “coat room” before trying to bum-rush the Secret Service. Many shotguns can be disassembled by removing the barrel from the receiver/buttstock essentially making it half as long. It does take at least 30 seconds to reassemble even with practice. In a combat situation 30 seconds can be (literally) an eternity.
– He was apparently carrying both the shotgun, a handgun (whether pistol or revolver has not yet been disclosed) and multiple knives. I’m guessing that’s why they partially stripped him after securing him once they found more than a couple of weapons.
– The Secret Service agent was shot with the handgun, and is (according to Trump after he spoke with him) in good condition and in good spirits. If he was shot in his vest it was most likely a torso hit, which even though not penetrating the vest can hurt like heck, and possibly break a few ribs. If that’s the case the vest almost certainly saved his life.
I’m guessing that left-wing Deep-Non-Staters at Gurgle, Faecesbook, and X are busily scrubbing his search records and social media profiles as fast as they can keystroke.
The Dem-wingers and their flying monkeys in the media had nothing to do with having urged this on for the last 10 years by calling Trump “literally Hitler” who “must be stopped by an means”. That’s fake news, too.
(To the intelligence-impaired, the first and last paragraph of this post is SARCASM.)
Gee, I wish this thing had an “edit” button.
I just wanted to add that the AG is quoted as saying:
“There will be multiple charges around the shooting, around the possession of firearms, and anything else we can get on this guy,” Blanche said. “Justice will be served.”
The “alleged” perpetrator “allegedly” shot somebody in the torso. If that’s not premeditated attempted murder, then what is? Hopefully “charges around the shooting” will at a minimum include attempted murder.
“Brady Group”.. Jake Tapper at one time ran Handgun Control. In 1985, the New England Journal of Medicine published a paper claiming that D.C.s gun bans worked. Data not adjusted to population and boldly stated that the law had been successful even before it was enacted! Also…. that as the crime and murder rate increased after the law enacted… it was a success because as more died, more were being saved.
Tapper didn’t run Brady, was just their Chief Liar (PR).
Now it’s “California Man”.!
3-0.
The SS actually did a terrible job, as usual, leaving areas unmanned and agents busy talking and not doing their job
The fact that we’re not mourning the loss of easily the most consequential president in the last 160 years puts the lie to your benighted comment.
Trump is alive, the assassin is in custody and the injured officer will likely be seated at the head table when the dinner reconvenes.
“So how did this Jackwagon get anywhere NEAR THE INSIDE where folks were dining? What if this were 10 Jihadis with AK’s and vests? ‘Cuz that’s how those folks do things… e.g., the attack on the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel in Mumbai… ten guys on a mission.
I understand folks deserve praise and whatnot… but this episode seems to ME to be a bit of a security FUBAR, given that the Number 1, Number 2, and Number 3 were all sitting there eating”
Sis anyone mention, I believe, this is where Reagan was shot?
And they get JD out before Trump? And what are the President, VO and SOS doing in the same room in such a public and non secured room?
How crazy is that!
https://rumble.com/shorts/v790hzm
https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2026/04/kari-lake-other-attendees-expose-shockingly-relaxed-security/
Were there failures in security? Perhaps, but the Hilton is public access, which only points to a greater need for the White House ballroom.
Considering the fact that due to the left’s intransigence over budget negotiations, Secret Security isn’t getting paid; I would argue SS did a great job..
Reporters kept mentioning the rings of security around the Hilton which begs the question, was he staying there?
You have no idea what the situation was, where the Secret Service was positioned, or anything else. So calm the hell down before you start making grand pronouncements of incompetence.
Oh I have an idea, someone has tried to kill the a President THREE times now
And he got through, that’s all you need to know
And he got through, that’s all you need to know
___________________________________________
except he didn’t
lone wolf attacks are the most difficult to prevent / interdict for even the most seasoned / experienced security staff as the attacker is not revealed until the moment they act
this wasn’t an outdoor venue meaning you’re going to HAVE to let people get close to the target due to the nature of the venue–think about rfk and sirhan or reagan’s incident that was on the street–lone wolf attacks are extremely difficult to prevent / interdict
trump et al are alive with one officer injured (not mortally, thank god) and the suspect in custody–considering the nature/venue of the event, that’s a win
The first SS had his back to the door
His back to the door
A teacher. Why am I not surprised?
Thirty kids in California rejoice because they’ll be having a substitute teacher for the remainder of the year.
Until they find out his replacement is Ilsa, the She Wolf of the AFT.
I wonder how much he made a year? As a poor public school teacher in CA, I bet it approached six figures.
Apparently not a classroom teacher, but a private tutor.
A loon from Liberalfornia just proved why a ballroom is necessary.
Correct.
Even if the ballroom were built, this WHCA dinner wouldn’t be held there.
Why not?
Because the president is a guest, not the host. You don’t host someone at his own home.
I think there’s a racism angle here some vile democrat has yet to fully exploit.
CNN talking heads are already saying that we don’t know who the target was. He could have been targeting journalists. Yeah, suuurrre.
https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2026/04/whcd-shooting-suspect-told-law-enforcement-he-targeted/
Trump
The would be assassin said, that he intended to shoot Trump administration officials.
Al 3 of our top officials were there
How insane is that?
After “numerous shoots fired at the would be assassin, he was completely missed
More practice needed perhaps
Incompetence more likely
Dem socialist a certainty.
CBS suggested Panda Express.
now that he is known to be blm what kind of lesser ,if any punishment will be handed out??
if he didnt have a direct threat towards trump they will say he wasnt trying to murder djt
he will be given the luigi treatment due to the now acceptable “social murder” construct the left insists we accept
his teacher of the yer award is indeed applicable and relevant now as this is more proof positive that this is what that now lowly profession is alllll about
Month not year. I.e. participation trophy.
Teacher of the month, and it was awarded to him by the tutoring company he worked for, not any sort of independent organization.
Tutoring as in indoctrinating students, one on one.
With absolutely no actual knowledge of the individual or circumstances, my guess is that someone with a BSME and MSCS (if reporting is accurate) would most likely be tutoring in math or science and is perhaps less likely to be involved in indoctrinating than others may be.
Or perhaps just “male talent” for hire at OnlyFantasies.
month year it doesnt matter brooooooo
he is another lefty hero
Explosive, vicious rhetoric will be minimized for 7-10 days, then slowly start again, with zero memory of this event and without any semblance of responsibility. Next!
Lets talk about the ballroom the left is determined not to have.
That wouldn’t have changed anything, because this dinner wouldn’t have been held there.
Couldn’t that change now? Of course, only repub prez are in danger in D.C.
Oh, maybe not, at this point.
Democrat Rules, remember.
The wanna be assassin likely had contacts and support in DC to help him carry off his failed attempt. That will be interesting to find out who supported his effort, together with who funded him. But first, the victimology narrative from the partisan media must come out.
He has (at least according to his LinkedIn profile) a mechanical engineering bachelor’s from Cal-Tech. But he’s black, so it could just be a didn’t-earn-it degree.
Such a mystery…./sarc
He said the shooting occurred outside the doors of the ballroom.
“For the rest of us to get into the ballroom, we had to show our ticket, go through a metal detector, and then finally, were admitted to the ballroom,” Gizzi said. “Somehow this individual got through the line.”
“It may have been that he actually had a copy of the invitation, which permitted him access,” Gizzi added. “How he brought the gun in and was able to start firing is still a mystery at this point.”
Since “outside the doors” is not “inside the ballroom,” nothing as you described it sounds at all mysterious. From the video, he clearly counted on speed and surprise to evade an outer ring of security, but didn’t evade security at the entrance.
Typical Democrat
Democrats are Terrorists
Liberalism is a mental disorder