Turning Point USA Founder Charlie Kirk is seen onstage at the Fiserv Forum during preparations for the Republican National Convention (RNC) on July 14, 2024, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. (Photo by Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)
(WASHINGTON) — Vice President JD Vance and second lady Usha Vance will meet with Charlie Kirk’s family and a number of his close friends in Salt Lake City, Utah, on Thursday, a source confirmed to ABC News.
Kirk’s casket, along with his family and friends, will then be flown to Phoenix, Arizona, aboard Air Force Two, the source also confirmed.
Vance mourned Kirk, a prominent conservative activist, in a long social media post in which he described Kirk as a “true friend.”
“The kind of guy you could say something to and know it would always stay with him,” Vance wrote on X. “I am on more than a few group chats with Charlie and people he introduced me to over the years. We celebrate weddings and babies, bust each other’s chops, and mourn the loss of loved ones. We talk about politics and policy and sports and life. These group chats include people at the very highest level of our government. They trusted him, loved him, and knew he’d always have their backs.”
President Donald Trump earlier Thursday announced he will posthumously award Kirk with the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
“Charlie was a giant of his generation, a champion of liberty and an inspiration to millions and millions of people,” Trump said at the top of his remarks at a memorial event at the Pentagon to commemorate the anniversary of the 9/11 terror attacks.
“We miss him greatly, yet I have no doubt that Charlie’s voice and courage put into the hearts of countless people, especially young people, will live on,” the president continued.
Kirk was shot during an event at Utah Valley University on Wednesday. Trump later that day announced his death.
A manhunt for Kirk’s killer is underway. The FBI said on Thursday it has recovered what is believed to be the weapon used by the shooter, and officials said the suspect is believed to be a college-aged individual.
The Presidential Medal of Freedom is the highest civilian award in the U.S. Trump said that the day of the ceremony would be announced soon, adding he thought it would surely draw a big crowd.
Trump also reporters with him at the Pentagon that he plans to speak with Kirk’s family on Thursday afternoon. Kirk is survived by his wife Erika and two young children.
The White House moved Thursday’s 9/11 ceremony at the Pentagon into the courtyard, away from the 9/11 memorial where the somber ceremony has been held for decades, in light of Kirk’s killing.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
A makeshift memorial for DFL State Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband Mark Hortman is seen at the Minnesota State Capitol building, June 16, 2025, in St. Paul, Minn. (Steven Garcia/Getty Images)
(WASHINGTON) — While President Donald Trump has called for an end to political violence following the assassination of Charlie Kirk, he did not recognize or acknowledge the recent threats, violent attacks and killings of Democrats.
During his remarks Wednesday night, hours after Kirk, a conservative influencer who worked closely with Trump and his family, was killed, Trump posted a video condemning the shooting and other political violence and brought up some recent examples.
“From the attack on my life in Butler Pennsylvania last year, which killed a husband and father, to the attacks on ICE agents, to the vicious murder of a health care executive in the streets of New York, to the shooting of House Majority Leader Steve Scalise and three others, radical Left political violence has hurt too many innocent people and taken too many lives,” he said.
Trump’s comments didn’t recognize several acts of violence that affected Democratic individuals within the last year.
On June 14, a masked gunman police say was disguised as a police officer allegedly shot two Minnesota state legislators and their spouses in their homes.
Democratic State Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband Mark were killed along with their dog, and State Sen. John Hoffman, a Democrat, and his wife, Yvette, were shot and wounded.
Investigators arrested and charged Vance Luther Boelter with the shootings and alleged that he had a hit list with dozens of other targets, including other Democratic lawmakers, abortion providers and pro-choice activists.
Boelter has been charged with state and federal crimes, including murder and animal cruelty, and has pleaded not guilty.
Following the Minnesota shooting, Trump called the incident “absolutely terrible,” however, he slammed Gov. Tim Walz, a Democrat, and did not call him.
“I think he’s a terrible governor. I think he’s a grossly incompetent person. But I may, I may call him, I may call other people too,” he told ABC News’ Rachel Scott on June 15.
Vice President JD Vance, Walz’s vice presidential opponent during the 2024 election, did contact the governor the day of the shooting, according to sources.
However, Trump continued to lambast the governor to the press.
“Why would I call him? I could call and say, ‘Hi, how you doing?’ Uh, the guy doesn’t have a clue. He’s a mess. I could be nice and call, but why waste time?” Trump told reporters on June 17.
Trump did call Walz following the Aug. 22 shooting at a Catholic church in Minneapolis, where two children were killed and 21 others were wounded.
The Minnesota state legislators’ shooting took place two months after a Democratic governor and his family were said by police to have been targeted in their own home.
On April 13, the Pennsylvania governor’s mansion was set on fire by a suspect while Gov. Josh Shapiro and his family were celebrating Passover, police said.
No one was seriously hurt and the suspect, Cody Allen Balmer, turned himself in, according to the police.
Balmer allegedly told police he would have attacked Shapiro with the hammer if he happened upon the governor inside the residence, according to investigators.
Balmer has pleaded not guilty to his charges, which include terrorism.
Trump was asked about the attack a day after and said the suspect was “just a whack job.”
“The attacker was not a fan of Trump. I understand just from what I’ve read and from what I’ve been told,” said Trump, adding that he was not informed of the motive in the incident.
“The attacker basically wasn’t a fan of anybody. Probably just a whack job. And certainly a thing like that cannot be allowed to happen,” he added.
Shapiro told reporters that Trump called him six days after the incident, and that he appreciated the call.
“He was very gracious,” Shapiro said.
Despite Trump’s lack of acknowledgment of these incidents, other Republicans have mentioned the Democratic targeting in their responses to Kirk’s shooting.
Utah Gov. Spencer Cox noted Shapiro’s alleged attempted assassination and the Hortmans’ deaths during his news conference on Wednesday.
“When someone takes the life of a person because of their ideas or their ideals, then that very constitutional foundation is threatened,” he said.
“Our nation is broken. We’ve had political assassinations recently in Minnesota. We had an attempted assassination of the governor of Pennsylvania. And we had an attempted assassination on a presidential candidate and former president of the United States, and now current president of the United States. Nothing I say can unite us as a country,” Cox added.
Several Democratic leaders, including former President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, also put out statements condemning Kirk’s assassination.
“There is no place in our country for this kind of violence. It must end now. Jill and I are praying for Charlie Kirk’s family and loved ones,” Biden said.
(NEW YORK) — Multiple historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) are on lockdown after receiving potential threats on Thursday, including Alabama State University, Virginia State University, Hampton University in Virginia, Southern University in Louisiana, and Clark Atlanta University in Georgia.
Spelman College, located near Clark Atlanta University, has also implemented shelter-in-place protocols as a precautionary measure due to its proximity.
Hampton University ceased all “nonessential” activity, including athletic events, on Thursday for the remainder of the day and Friday, according to the school’s website.
In a post on the Virginia State University Facebook page, the school said, “out of an abundance of caution, VSU remains on lockdown.”
Southern University in Louisiana is on lockdown, according to the school’s post on X. The school said the lockdown applies to its entire Baton Rouge landmass, which includes its Law Center. The community is encouraged to “shelter in place until further notice.”
ABC News obtained an email that was sent to the Virginia State University community on Thursday. In the message, VSU students, faculty and staff are asked to remain on lockdown while campus police, and local, state and federal law enforcement investigate the credibility of the threat that was received.
According to the email, no injuries have been reported, outdoor movement has been limited to essential activities, classes and extra-curricular activities have been canceled for the afternoon, and additional security personnel are monitoring VSU locations.
The lockdown measures come in the wake of the shooting at Utah Valley University on Wednesday, where 31-year-old right-wing commentator Charlie Kirk was killed at his speaking engagement on campus.
School officials at Hampton and Alabama State confirmed to ABC News that there have been no physical incidents toward students and faculty. It is unclear what type of threat was made to the schools at this time. The schools stressed “if you see something, say something,” asking for their communities to alert the authorities to any suspicious activity.
The alleged threats follow a history of threats to HBCUs in the past several years. In 2022, multiple schools received anonymous bomb threats, causing shelter-in-place notices or evacuations of the majority-Black institutions.
However, no real bombs were found after each incident. At the time, the FBI identified one juvenile believed to be responsible for a “majority” of the “racially motivated” threats.
(WASHINGTON) — Political violence and extreme rhetoric in the United States today mirror the turbulent 1960s, but with key differences that make the current era particularly challenging, according to presidential historian Mark Updegrove.
“The 1960s were another time of great upheaval and discord and division,” Updegrove told ABC News on Thursday, one day after the fatal shooting of conservative youth leader Charlie Kirk at Utah Valley University. “In just five years, we saw the assassinations of John F. Kennedy, Malcolm X, and in 1968 alone, the back-to-back assassinations of Martin Luther King and Robert Kennedy.”
As FBI agents recovered what they believed to be the murder weapon—a high-powered bolt action rifle—from a wooded area near the shooting site and continued their manhunt for the suspect, Utah Gov. Spencer Cox labeled Kirk’s death a “political assassination.”
The assassination led Updegrove to highlight a distinction between today’s political violence and that of the 1960s: The role of social media in amplifying extreme views.
“Social media gives us an opportunity to purvey extreme views from one side or the other with absolute impunity,” Updegrove said. “For social media purveyors, that enragement means engagement. It’s good for their business.”
The historian emphasized that political violence has emerged from across the ideological spectrum.
“It’s happening from all sides, not just the left,” he said. “It’s extremism that we need to prevent in this country.”
Reflecting on former first lady Lady Bird Johnson’s words, Updegrove recalled her observation that “the clash of ideas is the sound of freedom.” However, he stressed that while Americans are entitled to different views, violence is never the solution in a democracy.
Kirk’s death could have lasting implications for conservative youth movements, according to Updegrove.
“He was a leader who had great charisma and great impact,” he said, noting Kirk’s significant influence in mobilizing young voters. “He may be martyred… there might be people who rise up and try to fill that gap.”
Drawing another parallel to the civil rights era, Updegrove pointed out how movements can struggle to maintain momentum after losing charismatic leaders.
“We saw with Dr. Martin Luther King [who] was assassinated in 1968, the civil rights movement never quite was able to sustain that continued forward movement because he was such an effective leader,” he said.
Looking into the future, Updegrove emphasized the importance of national unity.
“We are a less effective nation when we are divided,” he said, expressing hope for reconciliation rather than further conflict.
(SALT LAKE CITY) — The FBI has released images of a person of interest sought in connection with the fatal shooting of Charlie Kirk, the founder of the conservative youth activist organization Turning Point USA, during an event at Utah Valley University on Wednesday.
“We are asking for the public’s help identifying this person of interest in connection with the fatal shooting of Charlie Kirk at Utah Valley University,” the FBI’s Salt Lake City office said on X on Thursday while sharing two images of the individual, who is wearing a baseball cap and sunglasses and was captured in a stairwell in one of them.
The FBI said it is offering a reward of up to $100,000 for information leading to the identification and arrest of the person responsible for Kirk’s murder.
The manhunt for the suspect, who is believed to be college-aged, continues, with officials working “around the clock” to locate the individual, officials said during a press conference on Thursday.
The FBI also said Thursday it has recovered what is believed to be the weapon used in the deadly shooting. A “high-powered bolt action rifle,” which officials believe was the weapon used in the shooting, was recovered in a wooded area near where the shooting took place, according to Salt Lake City FBI Special Agent Robert Bohls.
The rifle is an older model imported Mauser .30-06 caliber bolt action rifle wrapped in a towel, multiple law enforcement sources told ABC News. The location of the firearm appears to match the suspect’s route of travel, the sources said.
The spent cartridge was still chambered and three unspent cartridges contained wording on them expressing what some law enforcement officials described as “transgender and anti-fascist” writing, according to preliminary information shared with agencies. It’s unclear what that means and authorities are still working to determine the meaning.
The firearm and ammunition have been taken by the FBI for DNA analysis and fingerprint impressions. Upon completion of forensics, the firearm will be disassembled for additional importer information.
Tracking the shooter’s movements
Officials said they have been able to track the movements of the shooter and have “good” video footage of the individual, Utah Department of Public Safety Commissioner Beau Mason said on Thursday. The video footage will not be released to the public at this time, Mason said.
At 11:52 a.m. on Wednesday, the suspect arrived on the Orem campus and then proceeded to travel through the stairwells up to the roof of a building near the where the outdoors event was taking place, before the suspect fired down at Kirk, Mason said.
Kirk was hit by a single shot at approximately 12:20 p.m. and taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead, authorities said.
After the shooting, the suspect traveled to the other side of building, jumped off and fled off-campus into a neighborhood, Mason said. Officials are working through nearby neighborhoods, contacting people with doorbell cameras and speaking to witnesses to identify any leads, Mason said.
Along with recovering the weapon, Bohls said investigators have also collected a footwear impression, palm print and forearm imprints for analysis.
Officials emphasized the shooting was a “targeted” attack and they are “exhausting every lead.”
“We will not stand for what happened yesterday,” Mason said. “We are investing everything we have into this and we will catch this individual.”
The FBI asked for tips from the public as the manhunt for the perpetrator continues, urging anyone with information, photos or video from the incident to share it with investigators.
Trump blames political rhetoric
As the search for the suspect continued, President Donald Trump and prominent MAGA personalities sought to tie the killing to Democratic political rhetoric.
In a video posted to social media on Wednesday, Trump said, “It’s a long past time for all Americans and the media to confront the fact that violence and murder are the tragic consequence of demonizing those with whom you disagree.”
“For years, those on the radical Left have compared wonderful Americans like Charlie to Nazis and the world’s worst mass murderers and criminals,” he added. “This kind of rhetoric is directly responsible for the terrorism that we’re seeing in our country today, and it must stop right now.”
Trump’s son Eric, meanwhile, told Fox News’ Sean Hannity he was “sick and tired of seeing the bullets — they are only going one way.”
Utah Gov. Spencer Cox got emotional Wednesday as he delivered a message mentioning recent attacks on both Democrats and Republicans.
“Our nation is broken,” Cox said. “We’ve had political assassinations recently in Minnesota. We had an attempted assassination on the governor of Pennsylvania. And we had an attempted assassination on a presidential candidate and former president of the United States — and now current president of the United States. Nothing I say can unite us as a country. Nothing I can say right now can fix what is broken. Nothing I can say can bring back Charlie Kirk. Our hearts are broken.”
Controversial campus visit
Kirk — a 31-year-old father of two — was considered a confidant of Trump and highly influential in the conservative youth movement.
He founded the conservative advocacy group Turning Point USA in 2012 at the age of 18, and in the 2024 elections was credited with building significant support for Trump among young voters.
The Utah event was expected to include a “prove me wrong” table, according to the tour’s website.
Ahead of the conservative political activist’s visit to Utah Valley University, some students started an online petition asking university administrators to stop him from coming.
Though Kirk’s visit was controversial on campus, police were tracking no specific or credible threats before the fatal shooting, Utah law enforcement sources told ABC News.
More than 3,000 people were estimated to be at the event, according to the university’s police chief, Jeff Long. There were six police officers, along with Kirk’s private security, according to Long.
UVU will be closed until Sept. 14, according to a notice posted on the university’s website.
One suspect sought
There is no evidence that anyone else was involved, according to authorities.
The Utah Department of Public of Safety said in an update Wednesday night that two people were initially taken into custody after the shooting but later released.
The first was released and later charged with obstruction by university police. The second person was taken into custody and released after an “interrogation” by law enforcement, the department said.
Utah authorities said “there are no current ties to the shooting with either of these individuals.”
Tributes from both parties
Trump was among those who paid tribute to Kirk.
“The Great, and even Legendary, Charlie Kirk, is dead,” Trump said on social media. “No one understood or had the Heart of the Youth in the United States of America better than Charlie. He was loved and admired by ALL, especially me, and now, he is no longer with us. Melania and my Sympathies go out to his beautiful wife Erika, and family. Charlie, we love you!”
“It’s horrific. It’s one of the most horrible things I’ve ever seen,” Trump told ABC News Chief Washington Correspondent Jonathan Karl.
“He was a great guy,” Trump said. “He was a good man. He was an incredible guy. Nobody like him.”
Trump ordered all American flags throughout the country to be lowered to half-staff through Sunday evening in Kirk’s honor. On Thursday, he also announced he will posthumously award Kirk the Presidential Medal of Freedom, saying he was a “giant of his generation.”
Cox called the fatal shooting a “political assassination.”
“Those responsible will be held fully accountable. Violence has no place in our public life. Americans of every political persuasion must unite in condemning this act,” he said on X following the attack.
Vice President JD Vance called Kirk “a genuinely good guy and a young father” while urging prayers in the aftermath of the shooting.
Condemnation came from both sides of the political spectrum.
“There is no place in our country for this kind of violence. It must end now,” Former President Joe Biden said. “Jill and I are praying for Charlie Kirk’s family and loved ones.”
“The attack on Charlie Kirk is horrifying and this growing type of unconscionable violence cannot be allowed in our society,” Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, a Democrat, said on X.
Fellow Democratic governor, California’s Gavin Newsom, said on X that the “attack on Charlie Kirk is disgusting, vile, and reprehensible. In the United States of America, we must reject political violence in EVERY form.”
ABC News’ Aaron Katersky, Luke Barr, Josh Margolin, Ivan Pereira, Lalee Ibssa, Isabella Murray, Katherine Faulders, Jack Date, Chris Looft and Helena Skinner contributed to this report.
(NEW YORK) — Ryan Routh, who is representing himself at his trial on charges of attempting to assassinate Donald Trump on his golf course last year, was cut off by the judge part way through his opening statement Thursday.
Routh, who is not a lawyer and has no legal education, launched into a speech about the origin of the human species, global conflicts, and his political grievances, before U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon cut him off after about six minutes for making arguments that she said have “absolutely nothing to do with the evidence in this case.”
“You do not have an unlimited license to go forward to make a mockery of the dignity of this courtroom,” Judge Cannon said.
Routh began his opening by contemplating how humans have gotten “derailed and so full of hate.”
“Modern trials seem to eliminate all that is human,” he told the jurors as he stood before the jury box. “What is in the heart and mind is all that matters.”
Routh then criticized U.S. foreign policy for standing by while, he said, “Putin has slaughtered 1.5 million” and “Netanyahu has killed 60,000” — arguing that the U.S. “supports his genocide.”
He also appeared to criticize Trump for “trading a war for an election” and moving the U.S. embassy in Israel.
After Judge Cannon criticized Routh for going off topic, Routh restarted his opening to encourage jurors to focus on his intent.
“This case hangs on intent. What is in one’s heart,” he said before nearly breaking into tears.
“This case means absolutely nothing. A life has been lived to the fullest,” he said before Cannon cut him off again.
Prosecutors allege that Routh put together a methodical plan — including purchasing a military-grade weapon, researching Trump’s movements, and utilizing a dozen burner phones — to kill Trump based on political grievances.
Hiding in the bushes of Trump’s Palm Beach golf course and armed with a rifle, Routh allegedly came within a few hundred yards of the then-presidential nominee before a Secret Service agent spotted his rifle poking out of the tree line.
Routh allegedly fled the scene but was later arrested by a local sheriff’s office on a nearby interstate.
Nearly a year after the failed assassination attempt, Routh now faces five criminal counts that risk sending him to prison for the rest of his life. Despite lacking any legal experience, Routh dismissed his lawyers earlier this year and intends to defend himself at trial.
“I will be representing myself moving forward; It was ridiculous from the outset to consider a random stranger that knows nothing of who I am to speak for me,” Routh told U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon in a July letter. “I am so sorry, I know this makes your life harder.”
Routh’s self-representation created some issues during the three days of jury selection earlier this week. Judge Cannon — who previously oversaw and dismissed one of Trump’s criminal cases — refused to use many of his proposed jury questions, deeming them too “political.”
Among other subjects, Routh had proposed asking jurors about their stance on Palestine and Ukraine, and about Trump’s proposed acquisition of Greenland.
Routh has said in court filings that he plans to defend himself by focusing on his self-described peaceful nature and his care for humanity, in part by calling to the stand his son and multiple friends to testify about his character.
Judge Cannon has barred him from trying to argue that his alleged actions were justified, that he did not intend to carry out the assassination, or that his actions were protected by First Amendment rights.
Turning Point USA Founder Charlie Kirk is seen onstage at the Fiserv Forum during preparations for the Republican National Convention (RNC) on July 14, 2024, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. (Photo by Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)
(WASHINGTON) — President Donald Trump, at a memorial event at the Pentagon on Thursday on the anniversary of the 9/11 terror attacks, announced he will posthumously award Charlie Kirk the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
Kirk, a prominent conservative activist, was shot during an event at Utah Valley University on Wednesday. Trump later that day announced his death.
“Charlie was a giant of his generation, a champion of liberty and and an inspiration to millions and millions of people,” Trump said on Thursday.
“We miss him greatly, yet I have no doubt that Charlie’s voice and courage put into the hearts of countless people, especially young people, will live on,” the president continued.
The Presidential Medal of Freedom is the highest civilian award in the U.S. Trump said that the day of that ceremony would be announced soon, adding he thought it would surely draw a big crowd.
A manhunt for Kirk’s killer is underway. The FBI said on Thursday it has recovered what is believed to be the weapon used by the shooter, and officials said the suspect is believed to be a college-aged individual.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
(SALT LAKE CITY) — The FBI said it has recovered what is believed to be the weapon used in the fatal shooting of Charlie Kirk, the founder of the conservative youth activist organization Turning Point USA, during an event at Utah Valley University on Wednesday.
A “high-powered bolt action rifle,” which officials believe was the weapon used in the shooting, was recovered in a wooded area near where the shooting took place, according to Salt Lake City FBI Special Agent Robert Bohls.
The manhunt for the suspect, who is believed to be college-aged, continues, with officials working “around the clock” to locate the individual, officials said during a press conference on Thursday.
The FBI asked for tips from the public as the manhunt for the perpetrator continued, urging anyone with information, photos and video from the incident to share it with investigators.
FBI Director Kash Patel said earlier the agency “stands in full support of the ongoing response and investigation.”
UVU will be closed until Sept. 14, according to a notice posted on the university’s website.
As the search for the suspect continued, President Donald Trump and prominent MAGA personalities sought to tie the killing to Democratic political rhetoric.
In a video posted to social media, Trump said, “It’s a long past time for all Americans and the media to confront the fact that violence and murder are the tragic consequence of demonizing those with whom you disagree.”
“For years, those on the radical Left have compared wonderful Americans like Charlie to Nazis and the world’s worst mass murderers and criminals,” he added. “This kind of rhetoric is directly responsible for the terrorism that we’re seeing in our country today, and it must stop right now.”
Trump’s son Eric, meanwhile, told Fox News’ Sean Hannity he was “sick and tired of seeing the bullets — they are only going one way.”
Controversial campus visit
Kirk — a 31-year-old father of two — was considered a confidant of Trump and highly influential in the conservative youth movement.
He founded the conservative advocacy group Turning Point USA in 2012 at the age of 18, and in the 2024 elections was credited with building significant support for Trump among young voters.
He was hit by a single shot during the outdoors event at the university’s Orem campus shortly after noon. Kirk was taken to hospital but was later pronounced dead.
The Utah event was expected to include a “prove me wrong” table, according to the tour’s website.
Ahead of Kirk’s visit to Utah Valley University, some students started an online petition asking university administrators to stop him from coming.
Though Kirk’s visit was controversial on campus, police were tracking no specific or credible threats before the fatal shooting, Utah law enforcement sources told ABC News.
More than 3,000 people were estimated to be at the event, according to the university’s police chief, Jeff Long. There were six police officers, along with Kirk’s private security, according to Long.
Ongoing manhunt
Utah Department of Public Safety Commissioner Beau Mason called the shooting a “targeted attack,” and said the scene is a “very large area.”
Mason said the “only information” they have on the possible shooter was taken from CCTV on campus, and that the person was dressed in all dark clothing. The shot was fired on campus from a “longer distance,” potentially from a roof, he said.
There is no evidence that anyone else was involved, according to authorities.
Authorities are combing through video from the scene, including this video which appears to show a person on the roof immediately following the shooting, according to sources familiar with the ongoing investigation.
During a press conference yesterday, authorities said the shot came “potentially from a roof, yes. A longer distance shot from a roof.”
Separately, authorities said they are also looking at security camera video depicting someone dressed in all dark clothing and that “the shooter is believed to have fired from the roof of a building down to the location of the public event in the student courtyard,” according to a statement from law enforcement officials last night.
The FBI has established a digital media tip line for the public to provide any tips to investigators, including photos or video of the incident.
Salt Lake City FBI Special Agent in Charge Robert Bohls said the investigation is in the early stages.
“We are following all the leads and all the evidence,” he said during the press briefing on Wednesday.
The Utah Department of Public of Safety said in an update Wednesday night that two people were initially taken into custody after the shooting but later released.
The first was released and later charged with obstruction by university police. The second person was taken into custody and released after an “interrogation” by law enforcement, the department said.
Utah authorities said “there are no current ties to the shooting with either of these individuals.”
Tributes from both parties
Trump was among those who paid tribute to Kirk.
“The Great, and even Legendary, Charlie Kirk, is dead,” Trump said on social media. “No one understood or had the Heart of the Youth in the United States of America better than Charlie. He was loved and admired by ALL, especially me, and now, he is no longer with us. Melania and my Sympathies go out to his beautiful wife Erika, and family. Charlie, we love you!”
“It’s horrific. It’s one of the most horrible things I’ve ever seen,” Trump told ABC News Chief Washington Correspondent Jonathan Karl.
“He was a great guy,” Trump said. “He was a good man. He was an incredible guy. Nobody like him.”
Trump ordered all American flags throughout the country to be lowered to half-staff through Sunday evening in Kirk’s honor.
Utah Gov. Spencer Cox called the fatal shooting a “political assassination.”
Vice President JD Vance called Kirk “a genuinely good guy and a young father” while urging prayers in the aftermath of the shooting.
Cox said earlier he was being briefed “following the violence directed at Charlie Kirk” during the conservative political activist’s visit to the campus.
“Those responsible will be held fully accountable. Violence has no place in our public life. Americans of every political persuasion must unite in condemning this act,” he said on X.
Condemnation came from both sides of the political spectrum.
“There is no place in our country for this kind of violence. It must end now,” Former President Joe Biden said. “Jill and I are praying for Charlie Kirk’s family and loved ones.”
“The attack on Charlie Kirk is horrifying and this growing type of unconscionable violence cannot be allowed in our society,” Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, a Democrat, said on X.
Fellow Democratic governor, California’s Gavin Newsom, said on X that the “attack on Charlie Kirk is disgusting, vile, and reprehensible. In the United States of America, we must reject political violence in EVERY form.”
ABC News’ Aaron Katersky, Ivan Pereira, Lalee Ibssa, Isabella Murray, Katherine Faulders, Jack Date, Chris Looft and Helena Skinner contributed to this report.
(NEW YORK) — Opening statements are set to begin Thursday in the criminal trial of Ryan Routh, the man accused of attempting to assassinate Donald Trump on his golf course last year.
With instances of political violence on the rise, the trial is expected to revisit one of the most high-profile instances of alleged violence directed at Trump in the waning days of the 2024 election.
Prosecutors allege that Routh put together a methodical plan — including purchasing a military-grade weapon, researching Trump’s movements, and utilizing a dozen burner phones — to kill Trump based on political grievances.
Hiding in the bushes of Trump’s Palm Beach golf course and armed with a rifle, Routh allegedly came within a few hundred yards of the then-presidential nominee before a Secret Service agent spotted his rifle poking out of the tree line.
Routh allegedly fled the scene but was later arrested by a local sheriff’s office on a nearby interstate.
Nearly a year after the failed assassination attempt, Routh now faces five criminal counts that risk sending him to prison for the rest of his life. Despite lacking any legal education or experience, Routh dismissed his lawyers earlier this year and intends to defend himself at trial.
“I will be representing myself moving forward; It was ridiculous from the outset to consider a random stranger that knows nothing of who I am to speak for me,” Routh told U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon in a July letter. “I am so sorry, I know this makes your life harder.”
Routh’s self-representation created some issues during the three days of jury selection earlier this week. Judge Cannon — who previously oversaw and dismissed one of Trump’s criminal cases — refused to use many of his proposed jury questions, deeming them too “political.”
Among other subjects, Routh had proposed asking jurors about their stance on Palestine and Ukraine, and about Trump’s proposed acquisition of Greenland.
Routh has said in court filings that he plans to defend himself by focusing on his self-described peaceful nature and his care for humanity, in part by calling to the stand his son and multiple friends to testify about his character.
Judge Cannon has barred him from trying to argue that his alleged actions were justified, that he did not intend to carry out the assassination, or that his actions were protected by First Amendment rights.
President Donald Trump speaks to Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent while watching the men’s singles finals U.S. Open, September 7, 2025 in New York City. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)
(NEW YORK) — Consumer prices rose 2.9% in August compared to a year ago, marking an uptick in price increases as President Donald Trump’s tariff policy intensified. The reading matched economists’ expectations.
The fresh inflation data indicated an acceleration from a 2.7% inflation rate recorded in the month prior, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Price increases remain below the 3% rate recorded in January, the month Trump took office.
The new report arrives days before the Federal Reserve is set to announce a widely expected quarter-point interest rate cut. The price hike last month may give policymakers pause as they weigh an interest rate cut, since a reduction of borrowing costs could boost spending and put upward pressure on prices.
Egg prices, a longtime symbol of rising costs, were flat in the month of August. Still, the price of eggs stands nearly 11% higher than where it was a year ago. The price of coffee has surged 20% over the past year, the data showed.
Housing costs jumped 0.4% in August, which accounted for the largest share of the overall hike in prices, the BLS said. Food prices rose 0.5% last month, while energy costs climbed 0.7%, the data showed.
In all, prices climbed 0.4% from July to August, which marked the largest monthly increase since December.
In recent months, tariffs modestly contributed to the uptick in overall inflation, analysts previously told ABC News, but overall price increases owed largely to a rise in housing and food products with little connection to Trump’s levies.
The inflation report arrived at a wobbly moment for the nation’s economy. In recent months, inflation has picked up while hiring has slowed, posing a risk of an economic double-whammy known as “stagflation.”
A jobs report last week showed a sharp decrease in hiring in August, extending a lackluster period for the labor market. Meanwhile, a revision of previous hiring estimates on Tuesday revealed the U.S. economy added far fewer jobs in 2024 and early 2025 than previously estimated, deepening concern about the health of the U.S. job market.
The weak jobs data has raised alarm among some analysts that the U.S. economy may be slipping toward a recession, though the economy has largely averted the type of widespread job losses that often accompany a downturn.
The economic conditions have put Fed policymakers in a bind. If the Fed raises interest rates as a means of protecting against tariff-induced inflation, it risks tipping the economy into a downturn. On the other hand, if the Fed lowers rates to stimulate the economy in the face of a hiring slowdown, it threatens to boost spending and worsen inflation.
In response to the flagging labor market, the Fed is expected to cut interest rates when policymakers meet next week. Investors peg the chances of a quarter-point rate cut this month at about 90% and the odds of a half-point cut at roughly 9%, according to CME FedWatch Tool, a measure of market sentiment.
The inflation data on Thursday marks the latest figures unveiled by the BLS since Trump fired BLS Commissioner Erika McEntarfer last month in response to a weak monthly jobs report. Trump claimed without evidence that McEntarfer had manipulated statistics for political reasons.
McEntarfer, a Biden appointee who was confirmed by the Senate in 2024, had served in the federal government for two decades.
“It has been the honor of my life to serve as Commissioner of BLS alongside the many dedicated civil servants tasked with measuring a vast and dynamic economy,” McEntarfer said in a social media post after her dismissal. “It is vital and important work and I thank them for their service to this nation.”
William Beach, a former commissioner of the Bureau of Labor Statistics, who was appointed by Trump, condemned McEntarfer’s dismissal.
“The totally groundless firing of Dr. Erika McEntarfer, my successor as Commissioner of Labor Statistics at BLS, sets a dangerous precedent and undermines the statistical mission of the Bureau,” Beach posted on X.
McEntarfer did not respond to an earlier ABC News request for comment.
