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, who has not been identified officially by authorities but 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.
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.
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.
Authorities allege that Cole charged a security checkpoint at the Washington Hilton with multiple weapons before gunshots rang out, injuring one Secret Service agent. 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.
