Cole Tomas Allen's sister faces serious accusation after WHCD shooting; Trump raises questions

Cole Tomas Allen, the suspect in the White House Correspondents' Dinner shooting on Saturday, is believed to have been targeting President Donald Trump

Published on: Apr 26, 2026, 21:04:06 IST

By Yash Nitish Bajaj

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Cole Tomas Allen, the suspect in the White House Correspondents' Dinner shooting on Saturday, is believed to have been targeting President Donald Trump and members of his administration, acting Attorney General Todd Blanche confirmed. Blanche added that officials believe that the 31-year-old from Torrance traveled by train from California to Chicago and then on to Washington.

Cole Tomas Allen was identified as the WHCD shooting suspect (Facebook/Cole Tomas Allen)

While authorities have not yet publicly confirmed the suspect's identity, it was Trump who released his photos on social media. A LinkedIn profile with the name 'Cole Allen' showed a picture of a man which appeared to match the images shared by the president. On the social media profile, Allen said he was an engineer with a passion for game development, based in the Los Angeles Metropolitan Area.

"Mechanical engineer and computer scientist by degree, independent game developer by experience, teacher by birth," according to his profile, which noted that he had an undergraduate degree from the California Institute of Technology.

As per the school's commencement ceremony program., he graduated from Caltech in 2017 with a mechanical engineering degree. Allen was part of the Caltech Christian Fellowship and Nerf Club. Only last year, he uploaded a picture wearing a graduation gown and cap, saying he was ‘done’ with his computer science master's degree from California State University Dominguez Hills.

Why Cole Tomas Allen's family is in focus

Meanwhile, public records cited by The Daily Mail revealed that Cole Tomas Allen is one of four siblings, including two sisters, Stephanie and Arviana, and a brother, Gabriel. Social media users specifically targeted Arviana F Allen with serious accusations. Commentator and influencer, Sunshine Sunnybunz, raised questions, noting that Arviana, ‘who lives and works in DC She’s a Northwestern Medill grad with degrees in Journalism and Statistics. She’s done work for the Texas Tribune, Pew Research, and CalMatters, building voter guides and data projects for progressive-leaning outlets’.

“In this toxic climate, a brother pulling the trigger while his sister is deep in left-leaning D.C. media circles is raising real questions about how political rage spreads in families. Investigators will dig deeper, but these stories are never simple.”

Another person posted on X, platform formerly known as Twitter: “The bigger question is, was his sister at the event? Was this alleged shooter's sister at the event?"

However, that theory was busted almost immediately. Grok issued a fact-check. “No, there's no public evidence or reporting that Avriana F. Allen (Cole Tomas Allen's sister) was at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner. She's a 27-year-old D.C.-based data journalist/engineer at Pew Research (ex-CalMatters voter guide developer), but no sources link her to the event, credentials, or any involvement. Investigators are looking at family ties regardless.”

Trump raises questions

President Trump on Sunday made another push for his ballroom project, saying the shooting ‘would never have happened with the Militarily Top Secret Ballroom currently under construction at the White House’.

“It cannot be built fast enough! While beautiful, it has every highest level security feature there is plus, there are no rooms sitting on top for unsecured people to pour in, and is inside the gates of the most secure building in the World, The White House. The ridiculous Ballroom lawsuit, brought by a woman walking her dog, who has absolutely No Standing to bring such a suit, must be dropped, immediately. Nothing should be allowed to interfere with with its construction, which is on budget and substantially ahead of schedule!!! Thank you for your attention to this matter,” he wrote on Truth Social.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Yash Nitish Bajaj
Yash Bajaj is a Chief Content Producer with a strong foundation in US coverage, digital strategy, and audience-focused storytelling. As part of the US Desk at Hindustan Times, he covers a wide range of topics - from American politics to sports (NFL, NBA, derbies, MLB and more). Before joining Hindustan Times, Yash served as Deputy News Editor at Times Now, where he oversaw international coverage and led a team of six. In this role, he significantly expanded global traffic through strategic planning, SEO-driven content execution, and meticulous trend tracking across platforms. He is experienced in managing high-pressure breaking-news shifts, coordinating live coverage, and building newsroom systems that improve speed, accuracy, and reach. Prior to Times Now, Yash held a position at Opoyi, where he headed the Sports and US news team. He developed broad editorial strategies, guided reporters across multiple beats, and played a key role in recruiting and training new talent. His responsibilities also extended to social media management and experimenting with innovative content formats. A passionate NFL fan, Yash is a die-hard supporter of the Cincinnati Bengals and has followed Joe Burrow closely since his college days at LSU. Whether breaking down top players' latest performance, analyzing team performances, or tracking roster moves, he brings the same dedication and sharp storytelling to his sports coverage as he does to American politics and breaking news. When he’s not writing, Yash can often be found watching games or debating the latest NFL storylines with fellow fans. Yash holds a Bachelor of Mass Media (Journalism) from HR College, Mumbai University. His interests extend well beyond the newsroom: he is an enthusiastic explorer of AI tools, a movie buff with an ever-growing watchlist, and someone who enjoys unraveling conspiracy theories for fun.Read More

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