(NEW YORK) — College campuses across America are experiencing an epidemic of hoax calls about bogus shootings and other emergencies following the shooting death of Charlie Kirk this week.
These calls — known as swatting — panicked at least a dozen schools as police rush to campuses, chasing phantom threats with many of them being racially motivated and targeting historically Black colleges and universities.
Activities froze in places like Virginia State University after a swatting call and at Southern University in Louisiana, where classes have already been cancelled through the weekend, another swatting call put the entire campus on high alert.
Police say they must respond to these hoax calls about campus shootings as if they are real as the shootings become more and more common.
The concern, authorities say, is twofold. Swatting wastes law enforcement resources but also ends up sending heavily armed officers into student spaces with guns drawn, a problem highlighted just this week when a midshipman at the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, was shot during a swatting response and had to be flown by helicopter to the hospital.
While these hoaxes mostly ended up being false alarms, experts note that these types of hoaxes are not only a serious crime with substantial penalties for those involved but can also put first responders and bystanders at risk.
“Swatting is not a benign endeavor. Law enforcement is taking it seriously…when they are identified, they are arresting them and prosecuting them,” said John Cohen, an ABC News contributor and a former acting undersecretary at the Department of Homeland Security.
Bob Boyce, an ABC News contributor and retired NYPD chief of detectives, said these calls can range from a “simple prank” to revenge, or even a pursuit of notoriety. But regardless of the motive, there are serious penalties at stake for those placing these swatting calls, Boyce said.
Federal charges can include false information and hoaxes; which could lead to up to five years in prison with a “substantial fine;” interstate transmission of threat; which could lead to up to 20 years in jail if there is an injury involved; and wire fraud, which constitutes a “substantial penalty, incarceration and fines,” Boyce said.
In a statement to ABC News last month, the FBI said they are aware of the recent swatting incidents and are “working with our law enforcement partners.”
“The FBI is seeing an increase in swatting events across the country, and we take potential hoax threats very seriously because it puts innocent people at risk. Knowingly providing false information to emergency service agencies about a possible threat to life drains law enforcement resources, costs thousands of dollars, and, most importantly, puts innocent people at risk,” the agency said.
ABC News’ Megan Forrester contributed to this report.
Martin County Sheriff’s Office/Handout/Anadolu via Getty Images
(FORT PIERCE, Fla.) — Jurors in the criminal trial of the man accused of trying to assassinate Donald Trump on his golf course last year are set to hear testimony Friday from five law enforcement witnesses, concluding a chaotic start to the case that could send the alleged assassin to prison for the rest of his life.
While prosecutors originally estimated needing about three weeks to conclude their case against 59-year-old Ryan Routh, they signaled on Thursday that their case might conclude sooner than planned because of the quick pace of the first few witnesses’ testimony.
Routh, who is representing himself despite not being a lawyer or having any legal training, has not yet objected to any of the questions posed by prosecutors during the direct examination of witnesses, and his cross-examinations have been usually short.
“I’m very simple-minded, yes,” Routh told U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon Thursday when she inquired about his plans to cross-examine future witnesses.
Routh has been rebuked several times by Cannon after making unexpected and off-topic comments. During opening statements Thursday, Routh launched into a speech about the origin of the human species, global conflicts, and his political grievances, before the judge cut him off after about six minutes for making arguments that she said have “absolutely nothing to do with the evidence in this case.”
Jurors at the trial in Fort Pierce, Florida, heard Thursday from the Secret Service agent who confronted an armed Routh on the golf course before Routh fled, and a witness who identified Routh to police.
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.
He faces five criminal charges, including attempted assassination of a major presidential candidate, using a firearm in furtherance of a crime, assaulting a federal officer, possessing a firearm as a felon, and using a gun with a defaced serial number.
Desmond Holly in a photo released by police. Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office
(EVERGREEN, Colo.) — A 16-year-old student — who authorities say opened fire at his Colorado high school on Wednesday, wounding two classmates and then turning the gun on himself — was believed to be “radicalized by some extremist network,” officials with the local sheriff’s office said.
The gunfire at Evergreen High School broke out at about 12:24 p.m. local time, according to the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office.
Three students were taken to the hospital in critical condition following the gunfire, including the suspected shooter, who was injured by a self-inflicted gunshot wound, the sheriff’s office said.
The sheriff’s office confirmed the suspect died in a post on social media Wednesday evening.
The suspect was identified as 16-year-old Desmond Holly, Jefferson County Sheriff officials said during a press conference on Thursday. An image of the shooter was also released by officials.
Officials determined the weapon was a revolver that was “fired a lot.” Shots could be seen fired at windows and lockers, authorities said on Thursday.
The suspect allegedly went through the school trying to “find new targets,” but came upon “roadblocks” as doors were locked and he could not keep shooting victims, the sheriff’s department said.
While authorities are still looking into the shooter’s motive, they believe he was “radicalized by some extremist network,” and that he had a “mission,” officials said. Authorities said they are trying to better understand that network, and are searching his phone, home and locker to learn more on who he was communicating with before the shooting.
The sheriff’s office said on Thursday “no one has been released” from the hospital, despite earlier reports from hospital officials saying one of the injured had been released.
Previously, authorities said on Wednesday a fourth student was also transported to the hospital with an unknown injury, but the sheriff’s office said on Thursday they “think it’s just three” who were injured.
The families of the victims are expected to release photos and statements on Thursday, officials said.
In a statement on Wednesday, Colorado Gov. Jared Polis said he was “devastated” by the shooting.
“My heart goes out to the victims and their families as they grapple with this senseless act of violence,” Polis said.
After the shooting, the school was placed in a lockdown and officials swept the campus.
“This is the scariest thing you’d think could ever happen,” said Jefferson County sheriff spokesperson Jacki Kelley at a news conference on Wednesday.
“Students and staff were amazing. They did their job and they did it well. Lives were saved yesterday,” Kelli said on Thursday.
(WASHINGTON) — House Speaker Mike Johnson urged lawmakers “to turn the temperature down” on Capitol Hill following the killing of conservative activist Charlie Kirk.
“You will hear me, as I have always done, I’m trying to turn the temperature down around here. I always do that,” Johnson told reporters on Thursday.
An emotional Johnson said, “It still doesn’t feel real to me. Charlie Kirk was a good friend of mine.”
“I’ll continue to do what I’ve always tried to do here, especially in a moment like this. We have colleagues on both sides of the aisle who are in a different place this morning than they were yesterday. People have been shaken by this event,” he said.
Several rank-and-file Republicans, however, only doubled down on their unsubstantiated claims that Democrats “caused” Kirk’s killing.
Republican Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, a close friend of Kirk, told ABC News she stands by her fiery exchange on the House floor on Wednesday night, which culminated in the Florida congresswoman shouting to Democrats who opposed a second prayer for Kirk: “Y’all caused this.”
“They use their national platforms to say that we’re fascists, that we’re going to take away their rights, that were basically demons in office,” Luna said.
When asked by ABC News Capitol Hill Correspondent Jay O’Brien if blaming Democrats turned the temperature up and not down, Luna replied, “No, it’s accountability. It calls them out for that.”
Kirk, 31, was fatally shot while speaking at an event at Utah Valley University on Wednesday. A manhunt is underway for the gunman. The motive of the shooter is unknown, but Utah Gov. Spencer Cox called the fatal shooting a “political assassination.”
Kirk’s murder sparked horror and condemnation from Republicans and Democrats.
But Luna dismissed the bipartisan response, and said she wouldn’t apologize for her comments on the House floor.
“What were the events leading up to this? What were the statements and rhetoric responsible? Every single person here knows that was the rhetoric that caused this. And I make no apologies for yesterday,” she said.
South Carolina Rep. Nancy Mace went even further, saying she was “absolutely” blaming Democrats for Kirk’s killing.
“This is what the left has done to brainwash people who are already mentally ill, already mentally fragile… This is about fighting for what’s right. I mean, all he did, all he used, were his words, and he was murdered for his words,” Mace said.
While several House Republicans were quick to point the finger at Democrats, without fully knowing the shooter’s motive and noticeably omitting recent attacks on Democrats such as Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro and the killing of Minnesota State Rep. Melissa Hortman, not all GOP lawmakers joined in.
“Everybody’s emotions are high. I’m not going to point the fingers at either party. Both parties have some guilt,” House Oversight Committee Chair James Comer, a Kentucky Republican, told ABC News. “So hopefully we can, we can take a tragedy like this and try to all do better. And I think we can all do better — myself included.”
Members on both sides of the aisle reiterated concerns for their personal safety. Mace, currently running for governor of South Carolina, said she won’t be doing public events until “we have a better handle on greater security controls.”
“We always overreact. We need to react prior. Leadership is woefully ill-prepared,” Tennessee Rep. Tim Burchett told reporters. He added that he’s afraid something “really bad is going to happen before we get something done up here.”
“Heck no,” Burchett said when asked if he feels safe on Capitol Hill.
On the other side of the aisle, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer in floor remarks on Thursday condemned Charlie Kirk’s murder as “heinous” and “cowardly” and called for an end to political violence.
Schumer, the Senate’s top Democrat, also said that “finger-pointing” would not help cool tensions in the country.
“There should be no finger-pointing because this is an attack on our democracy itself. And if we fail to quell those fires, our democracy will be doomed. We should disagree. We can disagree with our ideas, but not with weapons and bloodshed and killing,” Schumer said.
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.
