The Trump speech shooting

Washington Post -   Trump was rushed offstage after a man armed with a shotgun, a handgun and knives charged a security checkpoint. Gunfire rang out just after the dinner began, and Trump, the first lady and hundreds of journalists looked up from their conversations. “Shots fired,” a member of the Secret Service shouted. Then agents, their guns drawn, sprinted to reach the president. Guests dressed in gowns and tuxedos hid under their seats. See the dramatic video.

The man was tackled by law enforcement officers and was taken into custody. A Secret Service officer was shot but was “saved” by his bulletproof vest, Trump said.

Trump posted two images of a man he said was the attacker being detained. He also posted surveillance footage on social media of a man making a mad dash through the cavernous halls of the hotel.

Trump held a news conference in the White House briefing room later last night, still dressed in his tuxedo and bow tie, to talk about the events of the evening.

“Well, thank you very much,” he said. “That was very unexpected!”

.... Two law enforcement officials have identified Cole Tomas Allen, 31, of Torrance, Calif., as the suspect in the shooting. Federal authorities surrounded his home late Saturday.

Attendees dropped to the floor, crouching beside chairs and ducking under tables as a sense of danger spread through the room. Trump said that he had hoped to continue the dinner, because he didn’t want “sick people” to “change the fabric of our life,” but that he ultimately decided to reschedule it. Some afterparties, however, continued as scheduled.

After two previous assassination attempts against Trump, this latest incident is reigniting the conversation about political violence in the U.S.

The People -  Law enforcement officials familiar with the investigation have identified Cole Tomas Allen, 31, of Torrance, Calif., as the armed man who was taken into custody after injuring a Secret Service agent, according to Reuters, The New York Times, and CNN.

A LinkedIn profile with Allen's name and photo refers to him as a "mechanical engineer and computer scientist by degree, independent game developer by experience, teacher by birth," the outlets reported.

He obtained a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering in 2017 from the California Institute of Technology, followed by a master's degree in computer science in 2025 from California State University at Dominguez Hills, according to the LinkedIn profile.