A new twist unfolds in the aftermath of the White House Correspondents’ Dinner (WHCD) shooting, revealing a video from 2017, showing the suspected shooter, Cole Allen, introducing accessibility tools for wheelchairs for seniors.
In the resurfaced clip, the younger Cole Allen is attending a conference titled Aging Into The Future: Transforming Lives Through Technology + Innovation, to present the concept and functionalities of his creation.
At the time, he was still a mechanical engineering student at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech), known for an acceptance rate that is often below 3%.
Speaking with ABC7 back then, Cole Allen introduced the wheelchair’s brake system, meant to make older people’s lives.
“The wheelchair brakes tend to lock the wheels, but don’t actually lock the chair to the ground. The idea with this is to prevent it from moving at all.”
The event, held by Saint Barnabes Senior Services, took place at the California Science Center on Feb. 16, 2017. Other than Cole Allen, the footage also shows multiple other students and tech startups introducing their innovations meant to make the seniors’ lives easier and more enriched.
Alleged WHCD gunman Cole Allen awarded “teacher of the month”
Apart from being an undergraduate at Caltech, Allen also interned for NASA. After graduating, he obtained his master’s of science degree in computer science from California State University in May 2025.
He practiced his profession as a mechanical engineer for a year before breaking into a game developer career. Allen also worked as a part-time teacher at C2 Education, where he earned his “teacher of the month” title in December 2024.
However, upon learning of his involvement in the White House Correspondents’ Dinner gunfire incident, the institution expressed its dismay.
“We were shocked to hear the news of the horrifying incident that transpired at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner. We are cooperating fully with law enforcement to assist them in their investigation. Violence of any kind is never the answer.”
The company went on:
“Such acts betray our values as a university and our commitment to fostering a safe environment for our campus communities.”
Cole Allen apologizes in a letter to family and more moments before shooting
Meanwhile, moments before the attack, Allen’s writings surfaced, where he apologized to his family, colleagues, students, and more for what he was about to do.
In the missive, he criticized President Trump without naming him. The letter was reportedly made known to the authorities as Allen’s brother reached out.
Allen penned:
“I don’t expect forgiveness. Again, my sincere apologies … Administration officials (not including Mr. Patel): they are targets, prioritized from highest-ranking to lowest.”
The alleged gunman continued:
“I experience rage thinking about everything this administration has done.”
Edited by Gladys Altamarino