{
  "$type": "site.standard.document",
  "bskyPostRef": {
    "cid": "bafyreibg2wwmipd6g375qxjnvzii2jpqdtktbs345rsxl5qvwbzll45zsu",
    "uri": "at://did:plc:qdzcgmgri7npfs46puqpnnjo/app.bsky.feed.post/3mkh4txnegeh2"
  },
  "coverImage": {
    "$type": "blob",
    "ref": {
      "$link": "bafkreih247ol7cnhobfkdcr7epm6omhiqwoacty6gem664ruopyj3rqq7e"
    },
    "mimeType": "image/webp",
    "size": 68392
  },
  "path": "/news/1995315/borderline-genius-shooter-wanted-to-fix-worlds-issues",
  "publishedAt": "2026-04-27T02:32:00.000Z",
  "site": "https://www.dawn.com",
  "tags": [
    "Newspaper",
    "opened fire",
    "reported.",
    "condemned"
  ],
  "textContent": "• Cole Allen, who opened fire at the White House press gala, has no prior criminal history\n• Peers speak about 31-year-old Caltech engineering graduate, game developer; relatives say he had firearms training\n\nTO classmates, Cole Tomas Allen was a “borderline genius” who rarely studied. To his tutoring students, he was a quiet, average guy proficient in science.\n\nTo authorities, however, the 31-year-old independent game developer is the suspect who breached a security checkpoint and opened fire at the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner on Saturday night.\n\nAs investigators probe into Allen’s digital footprint and writings to establish a definitive motive, a portrait has emerged of a highly educated, socially reserved individual whose life seemed rooted in software engineering and academia rather than political extremism.\n\nLaw enforcement officials, citing preliminary evidence from writings found at his home and a Washington hotel room, believe Allen intended to target members of the Trump administration, _The Washington Post_ reported.\n\nPresident Donald Trump told _Fox_ News the suspect left behind a “manifesto” and “hates Christians,” suggesting he acted as a “lone wolf”.\n\nWhile Allen had no known criminal record or prior run-ins with law enforcement, family members told _CBS_ News he recently made radical statements about doing “something” to fix the world’s issues.\n\nRelatives also noted he associated with a group called ‘The Wide Awakes’, and had attended a recent ‘No Kings’ protest in California.\n\nHis political footprint was minimal; registered to vote with no party preference, federal campaign finance records show his only political contribution in the past decade was a $25 donation to ActBlue, a political action committee that raises funds for Democrats, earmarked for Kamala Harris’s 2024 campaign, _Los Angeles Times_ reported.\n\nAllen’s background is heavily defined by his academic achievements. He attended Pacific Lutheran High School in Gardena, California, where he was known for his intellect.\n\nA former volleyball teammate, speaking to _NBC_ News on the condition of anonymity out of fear it could affect his career, described Allen as inquisitive, “super stable”, and exceptionally gifted in coding.\n\nAllen attended the California Institute of Technology, graduating in 2017 with a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering.\n\nA 2017 Caltech graduation annou­nc­ement featured a picture of Allen in a cardigan and red tie, alongside a childhood photo holding a stuffed bunny, _Los Angeles Times_ reported.\n\nAfter working briefly as a mechanical engineer, Allen transitioned into independent video game development.\n\nIn 2019, he registered a trademark for ‘Bohrdom’, a Steam release desc­ribed as a “skill-based, non-violent asymmetrical fighting game loosely derived from a chemistry model” combining elements of a “bullet hell and a racing game, with the inclusion of self-propelled pinballs”.\n\nHe later returned to academia to earn a Master’s degree in computer science from California State Unive­rsity, Dominguez Hills, in May 2025.\n\nHis LinkedIn profile picture depicts him in a cap and gown, captioned: “pretty sure my Master’s in CS is done.” He described himself online as an engineer, scientist, game developer, and “teacher by birth.”\n\nThat instinct translated into a part-time role at C2 Education in Torrance, where he helped high-schoolers prepare for college admissions.\n\nHe was named ‘Teacher of the Month’ in December 2024, _CBS_ News reported.\n\nDylan Wakayama, president of the Asian American Civic Trust, told the _Los Angeles Times_ that Allen tutored several local teens who found him proficient in biology and math, and “on the nicer, quiet side.”\n\nLaw enforcement sources indicate Allen lived at multiple Los Angeles-area addresses between November 2010 and March 2026, including San Gabriel from early 2018 to late 2019. Recently, he lived with family in Torrance, a coastal city of 150,000 known for its healthcare and white-collar workforce, where median home values exceed $1 million.\n\nNeighbours described the family, who moved into the multi-gabled home six months ago, as friendly and peaceful. Mayor George K. Chen condemned the violence on X, emphasising that the incident should not define the city.\n\nFamily members told investigators that Allen regularly visited a shooting range. He legally purchased an Armscor Precision .38 semi-automatic pistol in October 2023 and a Maverick 12-gauge shotgun in August 2025.\n\nThose weapons were recovered Saturday night after Allen travelled by train from California to Washin­gton. Subdued after firing two shots, the hospitalised and reportedly uncooperative suspect faces charges including using a firearm during a crime of violence, US Attorney Jeanine Pirro told _NBC_ News.\n\n_Published in Dawn, April 27th, 2026_",
  "title": "‘Borderline genius’ shooter wanted to ‘fix world’s issues’"
}