The attempted attack during Saturday night’s White House Correspondents’ Dinner has surprised many who knew the shooter, including his former professor.
According to his LinkedIn, Californian gunmen Cole Allen earned a bachelor’s degree in 2017 in mechanical engineering from the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. Later, he earned a master’s degree in computer science from the California State University Dominguez Hills last May.
There were no signs Allen would commit such an act of violence, according to Bin Tang, a computer science professor at CSU Dominguez Hills.
“He was a very good student indeed, always sitting in the first row of my class, paying attention, and frequently emailing me with coursework questions,” Tang said.
computer science professor at California State University, Dominguez Hills. CSUDH
“Soft-spoken, very polite, a good fellow. I am very shocked to see the news,” he added.
A 2017 television news story resurfaced on social media showing Allen in his senior year of college being interviewed. In the clip, Allen had developed a prototype for a new type of emergency brake for wheelchairs.
The 31-year-old man from Torrance was also involved in education in other ways. He reportedly worked for C2 Education, a company that offers admissions counseling and test preparation services to high school students.
Some of the students expressed shock at the news.
“He seemed like a completely average guy,” high school senior Max Harris, who said he was tutored by Allen, told the New York Times. “Like, I never would have expected anything like this from a guy like him.”
Allen sent a chilling anti-President Trump manifesto to his family just before opening fire — calling himself the “Friendly Federal Assassin” and revealing he was hell-bent on killing Trump administration officials.
He rushed through a security checkpoint before being tackled by security officials and is currently being detained.