White House Press Gala Shooting: Suspect Pleads Not Guilty To Attempt To Assassinate Trump

Last Updated:May 11, 2026, 19:17 IST

If convicted, Allen (31) could face a maximum sentence of life imprisonment.

Cole Allen, the man accused of opening fire at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, pleaded not guilty during a hearing in a federal court in Washington, DC, on Monday.

The 31-year-old faces multiple charges, including attempting to assassinate President Donald Trump, assaulting law enforcement officers, transporting a firearm across state lines with intent to commit a felony, and firing a weapon during a violent crime, according to a report in New York Post.

If found guilty on the charges, Allen could face a maximum sentence of life imprisonment.

White House Press Dinner Shooting

The suspected shooter’s attorneys have argued that Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche and Washington DC US Attorney Jeanine Pirro should step aside from the case.

The shooting had taken place during the high-profile event which was attended by President Trump and several cabinet officials.

Allen, a former schoolteacher from Torrance, California, has reportedly remained under suicide watch since the April 25 shooting at the Washington Hilton. The 31-year-old allegedly fired at a Secret Service agent, striking the officer’s bulletproof vest, before he was overpowered and taken into custody.

According to authorities, Allen was armed with a shotgun, a handgun, and several knives. An exchange of gunfire occurred with Secret Service and other law enforcement officers, resulting in one uniformed division officer being struck in his bulletproof vest, while no guests inside the ballroom were injured.

Who Is Cole Thomas Allen?

According to several unverified social media handles and LinkedIn, Allen has been described as a mechanical engineer, computer scientist, indie game developer, and part-time teacher based in Los Angeles.

According to the online profiles, Allen is a graduate of the California Institute of Technology, where he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering in 2017. He later completed a Master’s degree in Computer Science from California State University-Dominguez Hills.

He was a Caltech alumnus, associated with the university’s “Blitzkrieg Bots" robotics team that won a robotic vehicle design competition in 2016.

He also participated in a Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), which has led to descriptions of him as a “NASA fellow" in some reports.

Professionally, Allen worked as a mechanical engineer at IJK Controls and served as a teaching assistant at Caltech. He was employed part-time as a teacher with C2 Education in the Los Angeles area and had reportedly been recognized as Teacher of the Month in Los Angeles County in the past.

Allen also posted that he had developed a video game for the Steam platform based on molecular chemistry. A post under Allen’s name said he was working to develop a new “top-down shooter" combat game set in outer space.

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