One former student said that Cole Thomas Allen came across as a completely average person.
A former student of White House shooting suspect Cole Allen said he seemed like a ‘completely average guy’ who had no chance of doing anything like what he did. When Cole Thomas Allen, 31, opened fire outside the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner, a former student said, “It’s weird.”The Caltech graduate also recently won “Teacher of the Month.” Allen had a gun, a handgun and a knife and was a guest at the Washington Hilton where the dinner was being held.Acting Attorney General Todd Blanch told NBC News that Allen told police he was going after “administration officials,” but that he was probably not targeting anyone in particular and was alone.A former classmate said, Allen was never able to do anything like that. George Daghlian, who was in the Caltech Christian Fellowship Club with Allen, told the Wall Street Journal that he was shocked.He also earned a master’s degree in computer science from California State University, Dominguez Hills.According to a LinkedIn post, Allen worked as a teacher at C2 Education, a private tutoring and test-prep company, where he was named teacher of the month in December 2024.According to voting records, Allen was registered as having no party preference. According to Federal Election Commission filings, he donated $25 to ActBlue with the memo “Determined for Harris to run for president in 2024.”Allen lives in Torrance, about 15 miles from downtown Los Angeles. The FBI raided the house late Saturday night and also talked to neighbors. Allen is scheduled to appear in court on Monday. He has been charged with two counts – use of a firearm during a crime of violence and assault on federal officers using a dangerous weapon.According to reports, Allen apparently trekked from Los Angeles to Chicago before heading to Washington, DC.