Cole Tomas Allen, the 31-year-old Caltech graduate and former 'Teacher of the Month' named as the suspect in the White House Correspondents' Dinner shooting, has left those who once knew him struggling to reconcile the man they remembered with the events of Saturday night. A former student described Allen in just three words — 'completely average guy' — and called the incident 'bizarre,' saying he had shown no signs of being capable of such actions, told reporters.

George Daghlian, who participated in the Caltech Christian Fellowship club alongside Allen, conveyed his shock to the Wall Street Journal. A former volleyball teammate, speaking anonymously to NBC News,recalledAllen as a 'borderline genius' and 'super stable,' adding: 'Other people study hard. He didn't have to study. It would just come to him. He was really, really smart.'

Allen, a resident of Torrance, California, wasarmedwith a shotgun, a handgun, and multiple knives when he charged through a security checkpoint outside the Washington Hilton on the night of 25 April, where the annual dinner was being held. He purchased a 12-gauge shotgun in August 2025 and a .38-calibre semi-automatic pistol in October 2023, both legally, with the transactions processed through the FBI's National Instant Criminal Background Check System.

Allen's sister confirmed to law enforcement that he stored the firearms at their parents' home, and that their parents were unaware of this. She added that Allen regularly visited a shooting range to train and was part of a group called 'The Wide Awakes.'

Minutes before the incident, Allen sent a written manifesto to family members that 'clearly stated he wanted to target administration officials.' Hisbrothernotified the New London Police Department in Connecticut, who, in turn, relayed the information, but not in time to prevent the shooting.

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanchetold NBC's 'Meet the Press' that Allen stated to police he was pursuing 'administration officials' but was likely not targeting any specific individual and was acting alone. Blanche added that it 'does appear that he did, in fact, have set out to target folks that work in the administration, likely including the President.'

Allen's LinkedIn profiledescribedhim as a 'part-time teacher at C2 Education, a test prep and tutoring company,' where he was named 'Teacher of the Month' in December 2024. He had earned a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering from Caltech in 2017 and completed a master's in computer science from California State University, Dominguez Hills, in 2025.

Allen will face charges of using a firearm during a crime of violence and assault on a federal officer using a dangerous weapon, US Attorney for the District of ColumbiaJeanine Pirroannounced. 'It is clear, based upon what we know so far, that this individual was intent on doing as much harm and as much damage as he could,' Pirro said. He is set to be arraigned in federal court on Monday.

🚨 A COLLEGE STUDENT just revealed COLE ALLEN was his HIGH SCHOOL TUTOR, and described him as “a completely average guy”“Teacher of the Month”We have a problem in our education department.pic.twitter.com/eZMjr3rvim

President Donald Trump confirmed at a press conference that one Secret Service agent was struck during the shooting. 'One officer was shot but saved by the fact that he was wearing, obviously, a very good, bulletproof vest,' Trump said. 'He was shot from a very close distance with a very powerful gun.' No attendees were reported seriously injured, and Trump and First Lady Melania Trump were safely evacuated from the venue.

Source: International Business Times UK