A 31-year-old mechanical engineer and game developer from California has been identified as the suspect in a shooting that disrupted a press gala attended by US President Donald Trump. Cole Tomas Allen, from Torrance, California, was named by multiple US news outlets, citing law enforcement sources, although US officials have not yet publicly confirmed his identity.
According to his LinkedIn profile, Allen is a mechanical engineer and computer scientist with a passion for game development, based in the Los Angeles Metropolitan Area. He graduated from the California Institute of Technology in 2017 with a mechanical engineering degree and later earned a master’s degree in computer science from California State University Dominguez Hills.
Cole Tomas Allen’s Background
Allen’s LinkedIn profile describes him as an independent game developer and part-time teacher at a tutoring company called C2 Education. He also posted about an indie game he developed called ‘Bohrdom,’ a skill-based, non-violent fighting game derived from a chemistry model. A person with the same name and profile picture was named ‘teacher of the month’ in a 2024 Instagram post by C2 Education.
Motivations and Charges
Trump told reporters that the suspect, who was detained at the scene, was a California resident and law enforcement agents were probing his home. The suspect is due to be arraigned in court on Monday on firearm and assault charges, officials said. Authorities said he was armed with a shotgun, a handgun, and multiple knives, and was not known to Washington’s Metropolitan Police Department.
Trump described the suspect as a ‘lone wolf’ and said his motivation was not yet clear, but he believed the gunman was ‘sick.’ The incident has raised concerns about security at high-profile events, with some experts pointing to the need for increased vigilance and intelligence gathering to prevent similar incidents in the future.
Some key facts about the incident include:
- Cole Tomas Allen, 31, has been identified as the suspect in the shooting.
- Allen is a mechanical engineer and game developer from Torrance, California.
- The incident occurred at a press gala attended by US President Donald Trump.
- The suspect was armed with a shotgun, a handgun, and multiple knives.
- Allen is due to be arraigned in court on Monday on firearm and assault charges.
