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Cole Allen: WHCD shooting suspect due in court
Cole Allen, the suspect in the White House correspondents' dinner shooting, is set to make his first court appearance on Monday.
TORRANCE, Calif. - A Torrance man identified as 31-year-old Cole Allen is set to be arraigned in federal court following a shooting at the White House Correspondents' Dinner over the weekend.
What we know:
Investigators have identified Cole Allen of Torrance, California, as the gunman who opened fire during the White House Correspondents' Dinner on Saturday. Allen, a 31-year-old computer engineer and tutor, allegedly raced past security and assembled a long gun inside the hotel before charging toward the room where the event was being held.
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During the chaos, a Secret Service agent was struck by gunfire but was saved by a bulletproof vest. Following the incident, federal agents raided Allen’s home in Torrance, where he lived with his parents. The Associated Press reports that Allen’s younger brother, who lives in Connecticut, originally alerted police after receiving a letter from the suspect explaining his plans. In that correspondence, Allen reportedly referred to himself as a "friendly federal assassin."
What they're saying:
President Trump addressed the shooting during an interview with CBS' "60 Minutes," and discussed the suspect's background.
"I read a manifesto, he's radicalized, he was a Christian, a believer, and then he became an anti-Christian and he had a lot of change," the president said. Regarding the future of the event, he added, "We'll do it again within the next 30 days and we'll make it bigger and better and even nicer."
Neighbors in Torrance expressed shock at the allegations. One resident noted, "Well, nobody wants anyone bad living that close by, right? So yeah, I don't, and once again, it's allegations. We don't know the true story, but it seems pretty horrendous so far."
Torrance Mayor George Chen also released a statement following the allegations.
"We are aware of reports identifying the suspect as a resident of Torrance," Chen said in a statement late Saturday night. "While that connection is deeply troubling, one individual's alleged actions do not define our city or the values of the more than 143,000 residents who call Torrance home. Torrance is a community built on respect, diversity, hard work, and public safety."
Local perspective:
The investigation has thrust a normally quiet Torrance neighborhood into the national spotlight. Those who knew Allen described him as a "gentle" and "extremely intelligent" individual, making the allegations of domestic terrorism difficult for the community to reconcile. While federal agents swarmed the home over the weekend, the suspect’s parents initially resisted letting agents inside before eventually relenting to the search.
Former colleague Bill Melugin, who attended the dinner, raised concerns about the ease of access at the venue. He noted that "hypothetically, if I had hidden an explosive in my shoe or my jacket, I would have had no problem getting into one of those ballrooms," adding that badges were "barely checked" at some checkpoints.
What we don't know:
While a manifesto was released over the weekend, investigators are still searching for a specific motive behind the attack.
The Source: This story was written with information from President Trump’s "60 Minutes" interview and statements from the Associated Press. This article also used interviews from Gigi Graciette and Doug Luzader's live reporting.