TORRANCE, Calif. (KGTV) – Gramercy Avenue is a quiet neighborhood in Torrance, California.
“This is suburban America. This is single-family homes,” Peter Richardson, who rides his bike in the area, said.
“It’s a pretty quiet neighborhood. Bars, restaurants close pretty early,” Vince Terrazzino said. “Kids ride their bikes. That’s about it.”
This block had some brand-new visitors on Saturday night.
“The press was all here maybe two hours before the FBI even showed up,” Jennifer Taggart, a neighbor, said. “After the FBI showed up then the local police started clearing everyone up to the intersections on either side.”
It was a long night of commotion.
The FBI’s Los Angeles field office told ABC 10News agents did serve a search warrant at a home in Torrance, and their understanding was that it was for a home on Gramercy Avenue.
ABC News is reporting that the suspected shooter from Saturday night’s White House Correspondents’ dinner, Cole Allen, lives at a home on the 1900 block of Gramercy Avenue.
Terrazzino and his 10-year-old daughter live two blocks away from the house in question.
“She wanted to see what was going on because she had a long day and was tired from last night. So, she wanted to see it this morning and, as a dad, okay I’ll take you past the house,” Terrazzino said.
ABC 10news asked some of the neighbors if they knew Allen or anyone else in the home.
“Not personally. Sometimes one of them will be out in the garage working on something and they would say hi when I walked by,” Taggart said.
“Never seen him,” Terrazzino said, “He’s a teacher here but not at the school district we understand.”
Allen's LinkedIn page showed he's a tutor for C2 Education in Torrance, CA.
C2 Education sent Scripps News the following: “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 sight of reporter row, law enforcement surrounding their neighborhood, and FBI agents going door to door is something they would never have seen in their years living here.
“There’s usually helicopters going around here because there’s always something going around here near a major city. But I mean, usually not press and the FBI. That’s a new one,” Taggart said.
“What’s more surprising is, of all the neighborhoods in the country, right, this person lives two blocks away from your house. That’s just more kind of crazy,” Terrazzino said.
A White House official confirmed with Scripps News Group that Allen purchased two handguns and a shotgun from Cap Tactical Firearms, which is located in Lawndale, California, and kept them at his parents’ home without their knowledge.
