FBI vows ‘full details’ after WHCD dinner shooting
FBI vows ‘full details’ after WHCD dinner shooting
Gabe Hauari and Christopher Cann, USA TODAYMon, April 27, 2026 at 1:41 PM UTC
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FBI Director Kash Patel said he and Acting U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche will soon address the nation regarding the shooting outside the White House Correspondents' Dinner Saturday night.
In a Monday morning interview on "Fox & Friends," Patel said he and Blanche will address the nation "with actual details relating to this event."
"We're going to be able to present to the world, in less than 36 hours almost, exactly what happened, this individual's entire background – who he knew, where he lived, who he was talking to, everything about the firearms," Patel said in the interview, adding that the news conference will occur Monday after a criminal complaint is signed by a magistrate.
The suspect is set to appear Monday for an arraignment in federal court.
Who is the suspect?
The man suspected to be the gunman who opened fire at the White House Correspondents' Association dinner on April 25 appeared in a Los Angeles television news report demonstrating a prototype wheelchair in 2017.
Cole Tomas Allen, whose identity was told to USA TODAY by a federal law enforcement official familiar with the investigation on April 26, appeared in a segment on KABC-TV about a conference for inventions aimed at improving the lives of seniors.
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Allen demonstrated a prototype for a wheelchair emergency brake that he developed during the segment. USA TODAY has reached out to KABC-TV for comment.
Authorities allege that Allen charged a security checkpoint at the Washington Hilton with multiple weapons before gunshots rang out. One Secret Service agent was injured. President Donald Trump attended the dinner for the first time as president. The event also saw multiple high-profile guests, including Cabinet officials and Vice President JD Vance.
A LinkedIn account for Allen shows a post stating he received his Bachelor of Science degree in mechanical engineering from the California Institute of Technology in 2017. Kathy Svitil, a spokesperson for the California Institute of Technology, previously confirmed a record of an undergraduate student by the name of Cole Allen who graduated in 2017, but declined to release more information.
The 31-year-old will be charged with multiple counts connected to the shooting on April 27, Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said on April 26.
Contributing: James Powel, Josh Meyer, Sarah D. Wire & Nick Penzenstadler, USA TODAY
Gabe Hauari is a national trending news reporter at USA TODAY. You can follow him on X @GabeHauari or email him at Gdhauari@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: FBI promises details in shooting near WHCA dinner
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