(NEW YORK) — Three men, including a 19-year-old, were killed and nine other people were injured early Sunday when a dispute inside a crowded New York City nightclub erupted into a shooting incident that police said appeared to have involved multiple gunmen firing dozens of shots.
No one has been arrested in the deadly incident, NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch said at a noon news conference on Sunday, which followed an initial press conference she gave earlier in the morning. Police are examining security footage and interviewing witnesses in an effort to identify the shooters, Tisch also said.
Tisch said the shooting appears to be gang related but declined to elaborate, citing the ongoing investigation. She said that up to four gunmen opened fire inside the nightclub, hitting numerous bystanders.
The shooting unfolded around 3:27 a.m. Sunday inside the Taste of the City Lounge in the Crown Heights neighborhood of Brooklyn, which Tisch said was packed with patrons at the time of the incident.
The commissioner said officers arrived at the lounge on Franklin Avenue within minutes of the first 911 calls reporting the shooting and found a chaotic scene, with multiple victims ranging in age from 19 to 61 inside the nightclub suffering from gunshot wounds.
Tisch said two of the victims — a 27-year-old man and a 35-year-old man, were taken to hospitals, where they were pronounced dead. She said the third fatality was a 19-year-old man, who died at the scene. She said the surviving victims, three women and six men, were taken to hospitals with what appeared to be non-life-threatening injuries.
“What we know preliminarily is there was a dispute inside a crowded club that led to the shooting,” said Tisch. “We have multiple shooters involved in this shooting.”
Tisch said investigators had collected at least 42 shell casings from inside the lounge that came 9mm and .45-caliber weapons.
A firearm was recovered nearby in the vicinity of Bedford Avenue and Eastern Parkway, Tisch said, adding that police were investigating whether it was involved in the shooting.
New York City Mayor Eric Adams asked for the public’s help in bringing the perpetrators to justice.
“If you were inside the club, if you heard individuals talking about this shooting, if you witnessed someone fleeing the location, every piece of information would allow us to put the puzzle together to solve this crime,” Adams said.
The shooting occurred as the NYPD has recorded the lowest number of shootings on record for the first seven months of the year, Tisch said. According to NYPD citywide crime statistics as of Aug. 10, the number of shooting victims had fallen nearly 22% this year compared to the same period last year, and the number of shooting incidents had declined 20.5% compared to the same period.
“Something like this is, of course, thank God, an anomaly and it’s a terrible thing that happened this morning,” Tisch said. “But we’re going to investigate it and get to the bottom of what went down.”
(NEW YORK) — Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Sunday that both Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy must make concessions to achieve a peace deal.
“You can’t have a peace agreement unless both sides give and get. You can’t have a peace agreement unless both sides make concessions,” Rubio told ABC News’ “This Week” co-anchor Martha Raddatz. “If not, it’s just called surrender, and neither side is going to surrender, so both sides are going to have to make concessions.”
On those concessions, Rubio said the United States did ask Putin to make them; however, when it comes to sanctions, the Trump administration believes that as soon as it levies additional sanctions to those already in place, the negotiations will halt.
“Of course, concessions were asked, but what utility would there be of me going on a program and tell you, ‘We’ve wagged our finger at Putin and told him, “You must do this,” and “you must do that.”‘ It’s going to make — it’s only going to make it harder.”
“The problem is this: The minute you levy additional sanctions, strong additional sanctions, the talking stops. Talking stops. And at that point, the war just continues,” he said.
“Now, we may end up being at a point where we have to do that, where there is no other recourse, and that’s the end. By the way, there already are sanctions on Russia. The President hasn’t lifted any sanctions on Russia. They’re already facing sanctions, severe sanctions, and they’re facing ones from the Europeans as well. So we may very well reach a point where everyone concludes, ‘no peace is going to happen here, we’re going to have to do more sanctions.'” Rubio said. But if it comes to that, the secretary added, “You are basically walking away from any prospect of a negotiated settlement here, which is what everyone is asking us to do.”
While Russia has publicly taken issue with Ukraine’s demand for security guarantees as part of a peace deal, Rubio suggested that the United States believes that Ukraine is justified in its request, calling it “very reasonable.”
On the other hand, Rubio suggested that the United States believes that Ukraine is justified in their request for security guarantees, calling it a “very reasonable” request.
“We do know that Ukraine has said repeatedly and publicly talked about is security guarantees. They need to be able to enter into security guarantees that ensure that this is never going to happen again, that they’re not going to get re-invaded in two and a half or three years or four years or whenever it may be,” Rubio said. “That’s something we’re working on. And that’s something the Russian side has to understand, obviously, is that as a sovereign country, Ukraine has a right, like every sovereign country, to enter into security alliances and agreements with other countries.”
Rubio also indicated that Trump’s position on the war in Ukraine hasn’t changed after Friday’s summit and that Ukraine’s involvement is essential for a peace deal.
“I don’t think his mind has changed at all. I think ultimately, if this whole effort doesn’t work out, then there is going to have to be additional consequences to Russia. But we’re trying to avoid that by reaching a peace agreement,” Rubio said.
“We’re not at the precipice of a peace agreement. We’re not at the edge of one. But I do think progress was made,” he continued.
Trump had said before the summit that he wanted a ceasefire and for the killing to stop and there would be consequences if it didn’t.
In a subsequent interview on “This Week,” President Joe Biden’s former national security adviser Jake Sullivan pointed to the president’s goal before the summit to argue that since it wasn’t achieved, the summit was unsuccessful.
“President Trump’s stated goals were very simple, get an immediate ceasefire, and in the absence of a ceasefire, impose what he called severe consequences,” Sullivan said. “Well, the summit has come and gone. There is no ceasefire. There are no consequences. Meanwhile, President Putin has a simple goal. Keep the war going without facing further economic pressure from the United States. And he has achieved both of those goals on an open-ended basis.”
Sullivan also disagreed with Rubio’s position on sanctions, saying increasing them now would actually give the U.S. leverage.
“One thing that I think Secretary Rubio has backwards is the idea that additional pressure would hurt diplomacy. From my perspective, part of the reason that Putin came to Alaska is because he’s worried about the possibility of pressure. And if President Trump were prepared to escalate sanctions, squeeze Putin harder, I believe it would give him leverage to bring this war to an end more rapidly,” he said, adding that he hopes Zelenskyy and other European leaders traveling to Washington Monday will press Trump on this issue.
But Rubio did stress that a peace agreement can’t be achieved if only one side is involved in the talks — something Ukraine has stressed as well — and he said it’s the U.S.’s objective to bring both nations together.
“You’re not going to reach a ceasefire or a peace agreement in a meeting in which only one side is represented. That’s why it’s important to bring both leaders together, and that’s the goal here,” Rubio said.
Rubio said that details of Trump’s meeting with Putin will not be disclosed.
“These peace agreements and negotiations — they don’t work when they’re conducted in the media, either through leaks or through lies,” Rubio said.
(WASHINGTON) — Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., on Sunday underlined his stance that President Donald Trump deploying the National Guard to Washington, D.C., over concerns of high crime and the level of homelessness amounts to an “abuse of power.”
“All of this is a total abuse of power. It’s a manufactured emergency,” Van Hollen said in an interview with “This Week” co-anchor Martha Raddatz. “Obviously D.C. can do more to reduce violent crime, as we can across the country. But as you pointed out, crime in D.C. is at a 30-year low and a downward trajectory. So, this is all an opportunity for Donald Trump to play dictator in Washington, D.C.”
“The way the law is written, it appears he has the legal authority. And Mayor [Muriel] Bowser conceded that. So, what is the abuse of power here?” Raddatz pressed.
“The abuse of power is claiming that this is an emergency. And everybody who is watching what happens knows that this is not an emergency in Washington, D.C.,” Van Hollen argued.
Violent crime levels have decreased compared to years prior, down 26% since 2024, a 30-year low, leaving outstanding questions over why Trump deployed roughly 800 troops around the city.
Over the weekend, several Republican-led states announced additional Guard troops would also deploy to Washington to support the president’s mission.
As some outlets report the National Guard could be armed soon, Van Hollen said, “Well, that’s very troubling, because, as you know, the National Guard, first of all, is not supposed to engage in any local law enforcement activity. We have the Posse Comitatus Act that prohibits them from engaging in local law enforcement. And so I’m not sure what it is that they need to do where they need to be armed.”
Despite fierce criticism from Democrats like Van Hollen and protests from some Washington residents, the White House has defended its decision to surge federal law enforcement to the city and bring in the National Guard as necessary and legal.
Here are more highlights from Van Hollen’s interview
On D.C. police chief saying additional law enforcement ‘positive’ Raddatz: The mayor suggested this week that the surge of — of federal police could be useful in fighting crime. And there is a crime problem in D.C. We all live here. I want you to — I want to play you something that D.C.’s police chief, Pamela Smith, said this week.
Pamela Smith (video clip): You’re talking about 500 additional personnel in the District of Columbia. And as you know, we’ve talked about the fact that we’re down in numbers with our police officers. And so, this enhanced presence clearly is going to impact us in a positive way.
Raddatz: So, do you see anything positive about this?
Van Hollen: Well, I understand the position the police chief is in. The best way to help the police chief in Washington, D.C., is for President Trump and Republicans in Congress to give them the $1 billion in money that belongs to them so that they can hire those police, rather than bringing in these federal agents.
I would also say, Martha, I would think that taxpayers all over the country, federal taxpayers, have to ask themselves how it is that we are using resources, national resources, the FBI, the DEA, folks who are supposed to be out and about protecting the country from violent criminals, and now they’re spending their time taking down tents of homeless people in the District of Columbia. I would think people all over the country would worry about that diversion of resources.
On what Congress does if Trump goes past the 30-day limit Raddatz: The — the president says he’s going to maintain control of D.C. police past this 30-day limit, no matter what Congress does. So, then what do you do?
Van Hollen: Well, that clearly is a violation of the statute. And so, we’ll end up right back in court. Of course, the president also thought he had the ability to essentially take out the police chief and have his people come in and run the police department. A federal judge already said that that was not authorized. And in the same way, his ability to extend it beyond 30 days is not authorized. And so, they’re going to have to pass this statute in the — this extension in the Congress. And I don’t think that that’s going to pass.
On his reaction to the Trump-Putin summit Van Hollen: Well, Martha, there’s no sugarcoating this. Donald Trump, once again, got played by Vladimir Putin. Vladimir Putin got the red carpet treatment on American soil. But we got no ceasefire, no imminent meeting between Putin and [Ukrainian President Volodymyr] Zelenskyy. All the threats and sanctions that, you know, Donald Trump talked about, apparently, have been set aside. Donald Trump got flattered by Vladimir Putin. But when it comes to Ukraine under European allies, this was a setback. I do believe that Congress now, the Senate in particular, should move forward on bipartisan legislation that has over 60 senators as co-sponsors that would impose sanctions on Russia and Vladimir Putin.
Personal relations are important. And I have no objection to people talking. But you want to have a clear objective in mind. Clearly, Vladimir Putin had a clear objective in mind. And he came to Alaska and gave up nothing, whereas, you know, Donald Trump said he had hoped to do, you know, a ceasefire, he had hoped to fly in Zelenskyy maybe even while Vladimir Putin was there. None of that happened. And meanwhile, they’ve taken the pressure off the sanctions. I mean, again, Donald Trump was supposed to impose sanctions on Russia weeks ago now, and nothing. So, this was a victory for Vladimir Putin.
(NEW YORK)) — Three men were killed early Sunday in a shooting inside a Brooklyn lounge, the New York Police Department said, adding that it appeared multiple shooters had been involved.
The men were among 11 people hit by gunfire in the Taste of the City Lounge on Franklin Avenue, Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said in a press conference. A total of eight men and three women were shot amid a dispute in the lounge, she said.
The initial 911 call was received at about 3:27 a.m., the NYPD said.
The three men who were shot and killed were pronounced dead at the scene, Tisch said, adding that one was 27, another was 25 and the third’s age was not yet known.
Some three dozen shell casings were recovered inside the lounge, police said.
A firearm was recovered nearby, in the vicinity of Bedford Avenue and Eastern Parkway, and police were investigating whether it was involved in the shooting, police said.
(LONDON) — Russian President Vladimir Putin’s continued refusal to accept a ceasefire is “complicating” efforts to reach a peace deal, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Saturday, as he prepared to travel to the White House to meet with U.S. President Donald Trump.
Friday’s summit between Trump and Putin in Alaska — to which Ukrainian representatives were not invited — ended with Russia demanding that Ukraine cede the entirety of its contested and fortified eastern Donetsk region in exchange for an end to the fighting, two sources told ABC News.
Putin has repeatedly dodged Ukrainian-U.S. offers of an immediate ceasefire. Before the summit, Trump told reporters, “I want to see a ceasefire rapidly.”
Kyiv has previously rejected ceding any territory to Russia without binding security guarantees that include the U.S. Zelenskyy has also ruled out giving up Donetsk, saying the region could provide a launchpad for future Russian offensives deeper into Ukraine. Kyiv maintains that no peace negotiations can take part until a ceasefire is in effect.
On Saturday, Zelenskyy addressed the ongoing talks in a post to Telegram, saying, “We see that Russia rejects numerous demands for a ceasefire and still has not determined when it will stop the killings. This complicates the situation.”
“If they have no will to implement a simple order to stop the strikes, it may take a lot of effort for Russia to develop the will to implement much more, namely peaceful life with neighbors for decades,” Zelenskyy added. “But we all work together for peace and security. Stopping the killings is a key element of ending the war.”
Zelenskyy will meet Trump at the White House on Monday, with the U.S. president also inviting European leaders to attend.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer confirmed on Sunday that they will be among the leaders accompanying Zelenskyy.
“The talks will address, among other things, security guarantees, territorial issues and continued support for Ukraine in its defense against Russian aggression,” Merz’s office said in a statement. “This includes maintaining the pressure of sanctions.”
The leaders of France, Germany and the U.K. were also expected to co-chair a virtual meeting of the pro-Ukraine “Coalition of the Willing” on Sunday, according to a press release from French President Emmanuel Macron’s office.
After the Alaska summit, Trump told Fox News he recommends that Kyiv “make the deal.”
“Look, Russia is a very big power, and they’re not,” Trump said, saying Ukraine had “great soldiers.” The president then praised Putin, calling him a “strong guy” and saying he is “tough as hell.”
On Sunday morning, Trump posted to social media claiming “big progress” being made regarding the peace talks. “STAY TUNED!” Trump wrote.
The president also again criticized media coverage of the talks. “If I got Russia to give up Moscow as part of the Deal, the Fake News, and their PARTNER, the Radical Left Democrats, would say I made a terrible mistake and a very bad deal,” he wrote.
Zelenskyy said Saturday he would continue “coordination with partners” ahead of Monday’s meeting. “It is important that everyone agrees that a conversation at the leaders’ level is necessary to clarify all the details and determine which steps are needed and will work,” he said.
The Ukrainian president warned earlier on Saturday that Russian operations may expand as peace negotiations continue. “The Russian army may attempt to intensify pressure and strikes against Ukrainian positions in order to create more favorable political conditions for negotiations with global actors,” Zelenskyy posted to Telegram.
Ukraine’s air force said that Russia launched 60 drones and one missile into the country overnight into Sunday, of which 40 drones were shot down or suppressed. Twenty drones impacted across 12 locations, the air force said.
Russia’s Defense Ministry, meanwhile, said its forces shot down at least 52 Ukrainian drones overnight.
Democratic presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. speaks at a Hispanic Heritage Month event at Wilshire Ebell Theatre, Sept. 15, 2023, in Los Angeles. Mario Tama/Getty Images
(WASHINGTON) — Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on Friday ruled out running for president in 2028, apparently defending himself against accusations by conservative influencer Laura Loomer that he and top aides are quietly preparing for another White House bid as Kennedy runs America’s health apparatus.
“The swamp is in full panic mode,” Kennedy wrote in a lengthy post on X. “DC lobby shops are laboring fiercely to drive a wedge between President Trump and me, hoping to thwart our team from dismantling the status quo and advancing [Trump’s] Make America Healthy Again agenda.”
“They’re pushing the flat-out lie that I’m running for president in 2028. Let me be clear: I am not running for president in 2028.”
In the post, Kennedy also defended his longtime aide and deputy chief of staff at HHS, Stefanie Spear, whom Loomer accused in a Politico interview this week of trying “to lay the groundwork for a 2028 RFK presidential run.”
In his X post, Kennedy defended Spear, calling her “a fierce, loyal warrior for MAHA who proudly serves in the Trump Administration and works every day to advance President Trump’s vision for a healthier, stronger America.”
Spear served as press secretary for Kennedy’s failed presidential campaign, which ended last August with an endorsement of Trump.
Loomer, a staunch pro-Trump figure, has previously boasted of initiating the firings of government officials she deemed insufficiently loyal to the president. She did not immediately respond publicly to Kennedy’s post.
A view of a B-2 Stealth Bomber flyover attends Preakness 147 hosted by 1/ST at Pimlico Race Course, May 21, 2022, in Baltimore. (Paul Morigi/Getty Images)
(ANCHORAGE, Alaska) — President Donald Trump greeted Russian President Vladimir Putin at a U.S. air base in Alaska on Friday with a flyover that included the same type of bomber and fighter jets used to strike Iran’s nuclear sites last June.
The two leaders walked along a red carpet rolled out at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson with F-22 fighter jets on either side as the four F-35s and a B-2 Spirit bomber soared overhead.
According to two officials, two B-2 bombers were flown into the base ahead of Friday’s summit; the F-35 jets arrived from nearby Eielson Air Force Base in Alaska. The F-22 planes were based out of Elmendorf.
It was not immediately clear whether Trump personally ordered the bombers and the flyover to the Air Force base as a kind of show of force ahead of his discussions with Russia, which also is a nuclear power.
The B-2 is considered a symbol of U.S. power, as the bombers can fly around the world nonstop and can carry both conventional and nuclear munitions. The stealth B-2 bombers are the same kind used by the U.S. during June’s Operation Midnight Hammer, in which seven of the aircraft flew 36 hours straight from Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri to Iran where they dropped more than a dozen bunker-buster bombs.
The Pentagon did not respond to a request for comment.
In recent weeks, Trump has repeatedly praised the power of the B-2 aircraft and the skill of its pilots.
Trump has insisted the sites were “obliterated.” U.S. military officials say a damage assessment is still under way. On Aug. 6, he announced his administration ordered “new and enhanced” B-2 aircraft.
“It’s an amazing machine,” he told reporters, holding up a small model of the bomber.
A view of a B-2 Stealth Bomber flyover attends Preakness 147 hosted by 1/ST at Pimlico Race Course, May 21, 2022, in Baltimore. (Paul Morigi/Getty Images)
(ANCHORAGE, Alaska) — Two B-2 bombers were flown into Alaska’s Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson ahead of Friday’s summit between President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, according to two officials.
The stealth bombers are the same kind used by the U.S. to strike Iran’s nuclear sites in June’s Operation Midnight Hammer.
The B-2 is considered a symbol of U.S. power, as the bombers can fly around the world nonstop and can carry both conventional and nuclear munitions.
The Pentagon did not respond to a request for comment.
The high-stakes summit at the Anchorage base comes as the U.S. seeks a ceasefire in the Russia-Ukraine war.
It marks the first time in a decade that Putin has traveled to the U.S.
One key party who will not be in attendance at Friday’s summit is Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Trump said Thursday he hopes the summit will lead to a second meeting that would include Zelenskyy.
In this image released by the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency, a timber rattlesnake is shown. Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency
(GRUETLI-LAAGER, Tenn.) — A man has died after he was bitten by a venomous snake at a Tennessee state park, according to park officials.
The victim, who was not identified, was hiking at the Savage Gulf State Park — about 60 miles northwest of Chattanooga — when he was bitten on Aug. 8, Grundy County Emergency Management Agency Director Matthew Griffith said in a statement to ABC News.
The hiker was about half a mile down a trailhead at 55th Avenue in Gruetli-Laager when first responders arrived to the scene shortly after being dispatched, around 12:30 p.m., Griffith said. Paramedics administered CPR before the man was transported to the hospital, where he later died.
A witness told first responders that the hiker picked up the snake, which is believed to be a Timber rattlesnake, and was bitten on the hand, Griffith noted.
The Timber rattlesnake is the largest and most dangerous of the four venomous snakes found in Tennessee, according to the state’s Wildlife Resource Agency. The species can measure between 3 feet and 5 feet long and prefers mature, heavily-wooded forests with rocky hillsides.
Timber rattlesnakes tend to be “more docile” than other rattler species and is likely to stay coiled or stretched out and motionless when encountered in the wild, according to the Smithsonian National Zoo.
The hiker may have had an allergic reaction to the snake bite, but full details of the actual cause of death have not yet been released, Griffith added.
“The family of the individual will be in our thoughts and prayers,” he said.
An estimated 7,000 to 8,000 people are bitten by venomous snakes each year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). About five of those people die as a result of the bite, but more would die if they did not seek medical care, according to the CDC.
While victims of snake bites should always seek medical attention, the CDC recommends treating the bite yourself while waiting for first responders to arrive.
This includes removing rings, bracelets and watches in case of swelling, as well as washing the bite with soap and water.
The CDC then recommends covering the bite with a clean, dry dressing before marking the leading edge of the swelling on the skin and writing the time on it.
Do not try to suck the venom out, attempt to make a tourniquet, apply ice or put the bite in water, the CDC advises.
“If you encounter a snake simply remain calm and do not attempt to handle it,” Griffith said. “If bitten seek immediate medical attention.”
Griffith also recommended that hikers take first aid supplies when recreating outdoors and to be mindful of the dangers that wildlife could pose.
U.S. President Donald Trump and Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
(ATLANTA) — After a gunman opened fire on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) campus in Atlanta last week — forcing hundreds into lockdown, hitting six buildings and killing a police officer — authorities found he’d been harboring years-long grievances with the COVID-19 vaccine.
Patrick White’s neighbors told ABC News that the 30-year-old believed he suffered negative health effects after he got the vaccine, and the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) found written documents at his home indicating that he wanted to make his discontent known. He died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound during last Friday’s incident.
For many CDC employees, the shooting was the culmination of long-held fears that years of simmering anger and division that grew from those who disagreed with COVID-19 pandemic policies might turn to violence against the CDC, putting public health workers in physical danger.
“I think the environment has been set up for something like this to happen,” Jessica Rogers-Brown, a CDC epidemiologist who has worked in multiple centers across the agency over the past seven years, told ABC News. “But this is far worse than I feared.”
Rogers-Brown, who works at one of the buildings that was struck by gunfire, emphasized that she was speaking in her personal capacity, not in her professional role or on behalf of CDC.
For Rogers-Brown and some of her colleagues, that fear has turned to frustration with government leaders — including President Donald Trump — over the last week.
They feel the shooting has slipped into the background without even a public statement from the president about the attack on federal property or a sufficient denouncement from Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who oversees the CDC and has peddled vaccine skepticism throughout his career.
Earlier in this week, when Rogers-Brown went to pick up equipment that would allow her to continue to work from home while shattered windows and broken doors are replaced on CDC’s campus, she walked past bullet holes.
She said she won’t feel safe returning until she feels federal leadership has publicly stood up for the CDC and Kennedy has condemned any violence aimed at public health workers as loudly as he derided CDC for its COVID response.
Before becoming health secretary, Kennedy falsely called the COVID-19 vaccine the “deadliest vaccine ever made” and, during his recent presidential run, he wrote in a post on X that he would “clean up the cesspool of corruption at CDC.”
“We really are at a turning point of what can happen,” Rogers-Brown said. “We can start to right the ship, or we can keep going down this road and wonder if, next time, I’m going to be triaging the gunshot wound of a colleague. And what will make the difference will be the voices of our leaders that have the microphone.”
She called for Kennedy to make it clear that “public servants are not the enemy” and “CDC workers are humans.”
Over the weekend, Kennedy sent an email to staff, offering prayers and saying he realized that the shooting was “unsettling” for staffers.
Kennedy visited the CDC on Monday, surveying the damage, meeting with senior leadership and visiting the widow of DeKalb County Police Officer David Rose, who was killed Friday in the shooting. That day, he referred to the shooting as “heartbreaking” in an X post.
In an TV interview with Scripps News later that day, Kennedy said CDC workers “should not be the targets of this kind of violence from anybody” and that political violence is “always wrong.”
Asked if he would take action to quell misinformation around vaccines, Kennedy said there wasn’t enough information about the shooter’s motive and went on to criticize public health agencies.
“We have to ask, why are people not believing the public health agencies? And the answer, I think, is pretty elementary: That the public health agencies have not been honest,” Kennedy said.
Some staffers were frustrated by what they perceived to be a lack of strong response from Kennedy, who didn’t directly address staff during his visit on Monday.
“He never even sent an email to us until this past Saturday and never visited our campus until this week,” a CDC scientist who has worked at the agency for 10 years in a variety of positions told ABC News. “I don’t even know how to feel with the lack of words from the White House and RFK victim-shaming us.”
The scientist asked not to be publicly identified over fears of retaliation at work and safety concerns.
HHS spokesperson Andrew Nixon told ABC News in a statement that Kennedy “has unequivocally condemned the horrific attack and remains fully committed to ensuring the safety and well-being of CDC employees.”
Nixon said Kennedy’s response was swift and decisive, citing his trip to Atlanta, and said any suggestion of a delay “is simply not supported by the facts.”
“The Secretary’s presence and outreach underscore his commitment to the CDC community and public health workforce. This is a time to stand in solidarity with our public health workforce, not a moment for the media to exploit a tragedy for political gain,” Nixon said.
While Trump hasn’t publicly spoken about the shooting, White House spokesperson Kush Desai also emphasized that the safety and security of government employees, “whether in Washington, D.C. or Atlanta, Georgia — is the topmost priority of the Administration.”
“Violence has no place in any civil society, and the White House extends our heartfelt condolences to the family of Officer David Rose and the entire CDC team,” Desai said in a statement sent to ABC News.
CDC director Dr. Susan Monarez spoke directly to CDC employees on Tuesday, giving brief remarks in a 10-minute all-staff call that was cut short by technical issues.
“You are resourceful, resilient and strong, and we will make sure you have the resources, the protection, the support you need to keep doing the work you do,” she said.
She followed up later the same day with a more direct denouncement of misinformation to the agency’s more than 10,000 employees with a note that read, in part, “the dangers of misinformation and its promulgation has now led to deadly consequences.”
“I will work to restore trust in public health to those who have lost it — through science, evidence, and clarity of purpose,” Monarez wrote.
Another CDC staff member told ABC News that the last six months of the Trump administration had already been tumultuous for the agency. She cited Kennedy’s reorganization efforts that led to the mass-firings of around 10,000 HHS employees and many entire CDC programs being cut, which Kennedy defended as “reducing bureaucratic sprawl.”
“It was an overwhelming grief to watch what was unfolding with public health and how it was going to affect people’s lives,” the CDC worker, who also asked not to be publicly identified over fears of retaliation at work and concerns over her own safety, said. “But it is very personal now.”
With nearly 20 years of experience working in communications at CDC on multiple different public health issues, including immunization and COVID-19, she said she’d never seen as much fear among her colleagues as she had this year.
“The vilification of federal workers is astounding, and people are forgetting … that we’re human beings,” she said. “We’re parents and friends and mothers and daughters. You know, we’re just like everyone else.”
She pointed to Kennedy’s history of vaccine skepticism before joining the Trump administration and actions to dissuade vaccine uptake since taking office.
“This didn’t happen overnight,” she said.
In May 2021, Kennedy filed a citizen petition asking for the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to revoke its authorization of all COVID-19 vaccines, which he falsely criticized during a Louisiana House of Representatives meeting about school vaccine requirements as the “deadliest vaccine ever made.”
“After reviewing the science and consulting top experts at NIH and FDA, HHS has determined that mRNA technology poses more risk than benefits for these respiratory viruses,” Kennedy said in a video posted on X when the cut to mRNA funding was announced.
Scientists and doctors contend that mRNA vaccines have been studied for decades. Robust evidence from clinical trials and real-world data shows that COVID-19 mRNA vaccines are safe and effective, despite Kennedy’s claims, and that serious health events after COVID-19 vaccination are rare, as CDC states on its website.
ABC News’ Eric Strauss and Will McDuffie contributed to this report.
