CNN

By Casey Tolan, Kristen Holmes, Holmes Lybrand, CNN

(CNN) — The man suspected of opening fire at the White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner on Saturday night worked as a teacher and video game developer from Southern California, according to public records.

Cole Tomas Allen, 31, who lives in the Los Angeles suburb of Torrance, has been identified by law enforcement as the armed man subdued near the dinner where President Trump and other officials had gathered, two sources familiar with the matter told CNN.

A LinkedIn profile matching his name and photo described him as a part-time teacher at C2 Education, a test prep and tutoring company. C2 named Allen the company’s “teacher of the month” in December 2024, according to social media posts from the company. No one answered a phone number for C2 late Saturday evening.

According to his LinkedIn profile, Allen graduated from the California Institute of Technology in 2017 with a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering, and received a master’s degree in computer science from California State University-Dominguez Hills last year.

As a student at Caltech, he was featured in a local news report in 2017 for developing a prototype emergency brake for wheelchairs.

Allen donated $25 to Kamala Harris’ presidential campaign in October 2024, according to Federal Election Commission records.

Allen also described himself as a video game developer on his LinkedIn profile, and appears to have published an indie game called Bohrdom for sale on the Steam gaming platform for $1.99. He registered a trademark for the game’s name in 2018, according to federal trademark records.

On his LinkedIn, Allen wrote that he was “currently developing a second game, working name ‘First Law.’”

CNN’s Curt Devine, Scott Glover, Kyung Lah and Majlie de Puy Kamp contributed reporting.

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The post White House Correspondents’ Dinner shooting suspect worked as California teacher appeared first on News Channel 3-12.

By Casey Tolan, Kristen Holmes, Holmes Lybrand, CNN

(CNN) — The man suspected of opening fire at the White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner on Saturday night worked as a teacher and video game developer from Southern California, according to public records.

Cole Tomas Allen, 31, who lives in the Los Angeles suburb of Torrance, has been identified by law enforcement as the armed man subdued near the dinner where President Trump and other officials had gathered, two sources familiar with the matter told CNN.

A LinkedIn profile matching his name and photo described him as a part-time teacher at C2 Education, a test prep and tutoring company. C2 named Allen the company’s “teacher of the month” in December 2024, according to social media posts from the company. No one answered a phone number for C2 late Saturday evening.

According to his LinkedIn profile, Allen graduated from the California Institute of Technology in 2017 with a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering, and received a master’s degree in computer science from California State University-Dominguez Hills last year.

As a student at Caltech, he was featured in a local news report in 2017 for developing a prototype emergency brake for wheelchairs.

Allen donated $25 to Kamala Harris’ presidential campaign in October 2024, according to Federal Election Commission records.

Allen also described himself as a video game developer on his LinkedIn profile, and appears to have published an indie game called Bohrdom for sale on the Steam gaming platform for $1.99. He registered a trademark for the game’s name in 2018, according to federal trademark records.

On his LinkedIn, Allen wrote that he was “currently developing a second game, working name ‘First Law.’”

CNN’s Curt Devine, Scott Glover, Kyung Lah and Majlie de Puy Kamp contributed reporting.

The-CNN-Wire
™ & © 2026 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved.

The post White House Correspondents’ Dinner shooting suspect worked as California teacher appeared first on News Channel 3-12.

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (KEYT) The Santa Barbara Earth Day Festival filled Alameda Park on Saturday.

The cherished community event is one of the longest running Earth Day celebrations in the country.

The Community Environmental Council organized the first in 1970, following the 1969 oil spill off the coast of Santa Barbara.

In addition to live music, people enjoyed a Green Car Show and more than a dozen information booths.

The nonprofit ShelterBox USA showcased a tent and supplies used by disaster survivors all over the world.

"We are looking at ways to reduce climate impact, so when we bring our aid, we're trying to have local production, local purchasing, so we reduce the carbon footprint, looking at materials that could be recycled or reduced and used in the reused plastics arena," said ShelterBox V.P. of Development Matthew Saxton.

Sydney Rouse of the Santa Barbara Air Pollution Control District said the Green Car Show has some unique vehicles on display.

" We have Marborg's first ever 100% electric trash truck. This is huge. There's only a few of these across the nation, and they're just testing it out to see how it can fit in within our community. With gas prices being so high, people are really interested to see what's out there, how they can save money," said Rouse.

Glen Stewart of Skyhook said their crew came all the way from Colorado to take part in the Santa Barbara Earth Day Festival.

"Skyhook is a green energy company and we offer electric car chargers like this to get this here, we came from Colorado and we towed it with an electric vehicle all the way from Colorado to really highlight the portability, that we're completely electric coming all the way, 1000 miles out to California. People are really excited about it, seeing, you know, that there is a there is a solar option that is portable and can be put in place quickly without the construction," said Stewart.

The festival's Environmental Hero Awards take place at noon on Sunday.

For more information visit https://sbearthday.org

The post Santa Barbara Earth Day Festival Showcases Sustainability appeared first on News Channel 3-12.

CNN

By Wolf Blitzer, Todd Symons, Logan Schiciano, CNN

(CNN) — CNN’s Wolf Blitzer was just a few feet away from a gunman when shots were fired outside the main ballroom at the White House Correspondent’s Dinner.

Blizter had just left the men’s restroom on an upper floor outside the ballroom at the Hilton Hotel when he saw a man with “a very, very serious weapon.”

“All of a sudden I heard these loud, very loud, very scary gunshots right near me. Next thing I knew, a police officer threw me to the ground and was on top of me,” Blitzer said. The officers took him back in the the men’s restroom where about 15 other men were also taking shelter.

The veteran CNN anchor said the gunman was just “a few feet away” from him when the gunfire began.

“I had no idea, as I was hearing the gunshots, who this shooter was aiming at, or if he was just trying to scare everybody,” Blizter said. “And, of course, the first thing that went through my mind was whether he was going to shoot me.”

“It was a terrible, very frightening moment for me,” Blizter added.

One person is in custody after a shooting near the screening area at the White House Correspondents Dinner, according to the US Secret Service.

“I did see the gunman on the ground after he started shooting. Police officers threw him to the ground but he was still shooting. And I could hear the shots going off,” Blizter said, adding that there were a lot of police there to secure him quickly.

The shooting happened outside the ballroom on an upper floor near the security screening area of the lobby, where the restrooms are located.

A secret service officer was shot in the incident, three sources told CNN. The bullet struck the officer’s protective gear and they were taken to a local hospital.

President Donald Trump and members of his Cabinet, including Vice President JD Vance, were at the event taking place in the ballroom at the time and were swiftly escorted offstage and from the venue.

“Quite an evening in DC. Secret Service and Law Enforcement did a fantastic job. They acted quickly and bravely. The shooter has been apprehended,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.

While initially saying he hoped the event would go on, Trump returned to the White House at the request of Law Enforcement.

Trump said the the White House Correspondents’ Dinner will be rescheduled.

The-CNN-Wire
™ & © 2026 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved.

The post CNN’s Wolf Blitzer witnesses ‘terrifying’ ordeal as gunman opens fire a few feet away at White House Correspondents’ Dinner appeared first on News Channel 3-12.

By Wolf Blitzer, Todd Symons, Logan Schiciano, CNN

(CNN) — CNN’s Wolf Blitzer was just a few feet away from a gunman when shots were fired outside the main ballroom at the White House Correspondent’s Dinner.

Blizter had just left the men’s restroom on an upper floor outside the ballroom at the Hilton Hotel when he saw a man with “a very, very serious weapon.”

“All of a sudden I heard these loud, very loud, very scary gunshots right near me. Next thing I knew, a police officer threw me to the ground and was on top of me,” Blitzer said. The officers took him back in the the men’s restroom where about 15 other men were also taking shelter.

The veteran CNN anchor said the gunman was just “a few feet away” from him when the gunfire began.

“I had no idea, as I was hearing the gunshots, who this shooter was aiming at, or if he was just trying to scare everybody,” Blizter said. “And, of course, the first thing that went through my mind was whether he was going to shoot me.”

“It was a terrible, very frightening moment for me,” Blizter added.

One person is in custody after a shooting near the screening area at the White House Correspondents Dinner, according to the US Secret Service.

“I did see the gunman on the ground after he started shooting. Police officers threw him to the ground but he was still shooting. And I could hear the shots going off,” Blizter said, adding that there were a lot of police there to secure him quickly.

The shooting happened outside the ballroom on an upper floor near the security screening area of the lobby, where the restrooms are located.

A secret service officer was shot in the incident, three sources told CNN. The bullet struck the officer’s protective gear and they were taken to a local hospital.

President Donald Trump and members of his Cabinet, including Vice President JD Vance, were at the event taking place in the ballroom at the time and were swiftly escorted offstage and from the venue.

“Quite and evening in DC. Secret Service and Law Enforcement did a fantastic job. They acted quickly and bravely. The shooter has been apprehended,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.

While initially saying he hoped the event would go on, Trump returned to the White House at the request of Law Enforcement.

Trump said the the White House Correspondents’ Dinner will be rescheduled.

The-CNN-Wire
™ & © 2026 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved.

The post CNN’s Wolf Blitzer witnesses ‘terrifying’ ordeal as gunman opens fire a few feet away at White House Correspondents’ Dinner appeared first on News Channel 3-12.