WHCD Shooter’s Path Revealed: Timeline, Charges, and Investigation Details

The man accused of firing shots at Saturday night’s White House Correspondents’ Dinner (WHCD) appears to have targeted members of the president’s administration and likely acted alone, according to acting Attorney General Todd Blanche. Blanche made these remarks during an interview with Meet the Press host Kristen Welker on Sunday.

At the time of the interview, the investigation was less than 13 hours old. Blanche cautioned that facts could change as the probe progresses.

"From what we know right now, given what happened last night and the evidence we’ve gathered so far, we don’t believe anybody else was involved. But again, we have a lot of work left to do, and a lot of evidence left to go through and to collect."

Blanche also addressed claims that the shooter may have targeted administration officials, which could have included the president.

"We’re still looking into that. We know there were some writings, and we’ve already spoken with several witnesses who knew him. We do believe it was administration officials. Obviously, President Trump is a member of the administration, the head of it, but as far as exacting threats that may have been communicated beforehand, we’re still actively investigating that evidence."

Law enforcement agencies, including the FBI, Secret Service, and police departments in Los Angeles and Washington, D.C., executed search warrants overnight to gather evidence. Blanche outlined the suspect’s travel path to the Hilton hotel where the WHCD was held.

"What we believe happened, at least as of now, is that the suspect traveled by train from Los Angeles to Chicago, and then from Chicago to Washington, D.C., where he checked into the hotel in the last day or two."

The suspect, identified as 31-year-old Cole Tomas Allen of Torrance, California, is believed to have purchased the two firearms he used in the past few years. Blanche acknowledged the urgency and scale of the investigation.

"I was on the phone with Director Patel after 1:00 in the morning. FBI agents on both coasts were up all night, and prosecutors were working through the night. It’s a tragic, horrible event that happened."

Blanche also stated that authorities do not currently have a cooperating individual in the case.

"I don’t think he’s cooperating with investigators. At this point, we do not have somebody who’s cooperating."

Allen faces two counts of using a firearm during a crime of violence and one count of assault on a federal officer using a dangerous weapon.