DC gala shooting suspect aired Trump grievances in writings to family

By  ERIC TUCKER, ALANNA DURKIN RICHER and MICHAEL BALSAMOMonday April 27, 2026

Minutes before gunfire erupted outside the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner, the man accused in the attack sent family members a message that read less like a note and more like a manifesto — one that blasted Trump administration policies, called himself a “Friendly Federal Assassin” and now stands out as a possible clue to a politically charged motive, according to a message reviewed by The Associated Press.

The writings, sent shortly before shots were fired Saturday night at the Washington Hilton, repeatedly invoked President Donald Trump without using his name and pointed to a broad set of complaints about administration actions, including U.S. strikes on boats accused of smuggling drugs in the eastern Pacific Ocean.

Investigators, who have been piecing together the suspect’s digital trail and speaking with relatives, are treating the message as among the most revealing evidence yet of his state of mind and what may have driven him.

Authorities also found what one law enforcement official described as a string of anti-Trump social media posts tied to the suspect, Cole Tomas Allen, a 31-year-old California man accused of trying to force his way through a security checkpoint at the dinner while carrying multiple guns and knives.

Allen’s brother alerted police in New London, Connecticut, after receiving the writings, according to the official, who was not authorized to discuss the investigation publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity.

In a statement, the New London Police Department said it was contacted at 10:49 p.m., roughly two hours after the shooting, by someone seeking to pass along information about the incident. Police said they immediately relayed the information to federal authorities.

Allen’s sister, who lives in Maryland, told investigators that her brother had legally bought several weapons from a California gun store and stored them at their parents’ home in Torrance without their knowledge, according to the official. She also described him as someone who often made radical statements, the official said.

The writings reviewed by the AP stretch beyond 1,000 words and unfold as a scattered, highly personal message. It opens with an almost disarming “hello everybody!” before turning to apologies aimed at family members, co-workers and even strangers he said might be harmed. The note moves back and forth between confession, resentment and farewell, with Allen thanking people in his life while trying to account for the attack.

At other points, he lurches from political anger to religious reasoning and then to rebuttals aimed at imagined critics. He also mocked the security at the Washington Hilton, taking aim at what he portrayed as weak safeguards and expressing surprise that he was able to get into the hotel armed without being stopped.

The AP limits the use of attackers’ writings and social media posts to avoid amplifying their views or encouraging copycat actions. The AP chooses to summarize their words and focus mainly on the victims and investigations.

Allen legally bought a .38-caliber semiautomatic pistol in October 2023 and a 12-gauge shotgun two years later, according to the law enforcement official and another one who also spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the ongoing investigation.

Acting head of Justice Dept. says Trump officials were targets

Allen is believed to have taken a train from California to Chicago and then continued on to Washington, where he checked himself in as a guest at the hotel that hosted the gala dinner and its typically tight security, acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said. Authorities believe he acted alone, and he is expected to face criminal charges Monday.

Officials say Allen tried to rush toward the cavernous ballroom at the Washington Hilton, but was tackled to the floor in a chaotic confrontation that led to shots being fired, Trump being rushed from the stage unharmed and guests diving under tables for cover.

“It does appear that he did in fact set out to target folks who work in the administration, likely including the president,” Blanche told NBC’s “Meet the Press.”

A profile of the shooting suspect emerges

Social media posts that appear to match the suspect portray him as a well-educated tutor and amateur video game developer.

A May 2025 profile photo of Allen appears to match the appearance of the man in a photo of the alleged attacker being taken into custody that was posted Saturday night by Trump. The photo, posted to the social networking site LinkedIn, shows him in a cap and gown after graduating with a master’s degree in computer science from California State University, Dominguez Hills.

Allen earned a bachelor’s degree in 2017 in mechanical engineering from the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. He listed his involvement there in a Christian student fellowship and a campus group that battled with Nerf guns.

A local ABC station in Los Angeles included an interview with Allen during his senior year of college as part of a story about new technologies to help people as they age. He had developed a prototype for a new type of emergency brake for wheelchairs.

Allen contributed $25 to a Democratic Party political action committee in support of Kamala Harris for president in 2024, according to federal campaign finance records.

Chaotic scene unfolded minutes after gala began

The shooting at the security barricades happened minutes after the event got underway.

The Secret Service and other authorities swarmed the room as guests ducked under tables by the hundreds. Gasps echoed through the ballroom as guests realized something was happening. Hundreds of journalists immediately got on phones to call in information.

“Out of the way, sir!” someone yelled. Others yelled to duck. From one corner, a “God Bless America” chant began as the president was escorted offstage. Outside the hotel, members of the National Guard and other authorities flooded the area as helicopters circled overhead.

After an initial attempt to resume the event, it was scrapped for the night and will be rescheduled.

Trump was unusually conciliatory after what he saw as a third attempt on his life in less than two years. He suggested that his personal politics had made him a repeated target, but he also called for unity and bipartisan healing in an increasingly violent world.

“It’s always shocking when something like this happens. Happened to me, a little bit. And that never changes,” Trump told reporters in a hastily organized news conference at the White House late Saturday.