Armed Man Fires Shots at White House Correspondents' Dinner Security Checkpoint, Secret Service Agent Wounded but Stable

A 31-year-old man identified as Cole Thomas Allen from California charged a security checkpoint at the Washington Hilton Hotel on Saturday, armed with a shotgun, a handgun, knives, and multiple weapons, and fired shots inside the venue during the White House Correspondents' Dinner.

, in the days leading up to the incident, was apprehended by police after allegedly rushing the checkpoint and firing a shotgun. A Secret Service agent was shot but was wearing a bulletproof vest and is expected to be okay.

The attack prompted the abrupt evacuation of the annual gala, which celebrates the First Amendment. Secret Service agents escorted President Trump and other administration officials from the ballroom after shots rang out.

Attendees, including CBS News senior correspondent Norah O'Donnell who witnessed the evacuation firsthand, were present at the event. Authorities tied a manifesto to Allen, in which he outlined plans for a mass shooting and explained his travel from California to Washington.

In the manifesto, Allen wrote that he planned to target administration officials prioritized from highest-ranking to lowest and authorities only if necessary.

Sources said Allen sent the manifesto to members of his family, and one family member contacted police after receiving it. Authorities are reviewing writings linked to Allen suggesting he intended to attack government figures. said the suspect appeared to be aiming at members of the administration attending the dinner.

President Trump also said he 'fought like hell' to resume the White House Correspondents' Dinner after the shooting but law enforcement insisted otherwise. He added that he wanted the dinner rescheduled within the next 30 days.

President Trump is scheduled to appear on '60 Minutes' on Sunday and spoke to Norah O'Donnell earlier on Sunday about the White House Correspondents' Dinner. The FBI descended on Allen's family home in Torrance, California, on Saturday night with armored vehicles and tactical teams. Allen, 31, still lived with his parents in Torrance.

Paul Thompson, a Major Crimes Division prosecutor with the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office running for a judicial seat on the county Superior Court, lives next door to the Allen family in Torrance. Thompson has lived next to the family for a couple of years and is friends with Allen's father.

A campaign sign for Thompson was placed on the Allen family's lawn with the father's permission.

Thompson described Allen's parents as pretty normal, non-violent, and friendly, and said Allen pretty much kept to himself. Allen is Caltech-educated and worked for a tutoring and test prep company. Social media posts show he was named 'teacher of the month' in late 2024.