Mike Baker

When you're not impactful, they leave you alone.

End quote.

Now, let's turn our focus to the suspect.

We've learned that the gunman is 31-year-old Cole Allen from Torrance, California.

On paper, he doesn't immediately stand out as a would-be assassin.

Allen describes himself as a mechanical engineer, a video game developer, and a teacher on LinkedIn.

He earned his bachelor's degree at the California Institute of Technology and later a master's degree in computer science in 2025 from California State University, Dominguez Hills.

Allen was even named Teacher of the Month at a tutoring organization where he worked part-time.

They might rescind that award.

Investigators say Allen likely traveled by train from Los Angeles to Chicago and then on to Washington, D.C., in the days leading up to the attack.

He then checked himself into the Washington Hilton Hotel.

He's believed to have purchased his firearms within the last few years legally, and as of now, he has remained reportedly uncooperative with authorities.

Federal agents have since secured and continue searching a California residence linked to him.

So let's look at what we know so far about Allen's motive, and of course, it is still early in the investigation.

Los Angeles County's voter registration records show he had no registered political party preference, though he did donate $25 through ActBlue in October of 2024 to a campaign supporting Kamala Harris's presidential run.

According to CBS News, he told law enforcement that he wanted to shoot officials within the Trump administration, likely including the president himself.

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanch told NBC News that early findings point to a, quote, lone wolf attack.

Authorities say Allen wrote a manifesto laying out his desire to target administration officials and law enforcement.

He referred to himself as the, quote, friendly federal assassin.

And according to investigators, his writings and online activity were laced with extremist anti-Trump and anti-Christian views.