Trump, Vance and Biden respond to Charlie Kirk’s death
Conservative activist Charlie Kirk was killed at a Utah Valley University event. Donald Trump and Joe Biden responded to the news.
Police arrested the two in the wake of the fatal shooting of Charlie Kirk when they spoke at an outdoor event at Utah Valley University, but both have been released and are not considered shooters, authorities said.
FBI Director Kash Patel initially stated in X that “the subject of today’s horrifying shooting that took Charlie Kirk’s life is currently in custody.” Less than two hours later, he wrote: “The subject in custody was announced after law enforcement interrogation.”
At a press conference following the initial announcement of Patel’s arrest, Utah Gov. Spencer Cox said “an interested person” was in custody and was being interviewed. “The suspects are huge,” Utah Public Safety Commissioner Beau Mason said at the same press conference.
Cox vowed that the authorities would capture the shooter.
“I want to make this clear to everyone right now. We will find you, we will try you, and we will be accountable to you to the furthest extent of the law,” he said. “And we just want to remind people that there is still a death penalty here in Utah.”
Patel writes to X:
This is something else you need to know.
What happened to Charlie Kirk?
Kirk was addressing thousands of people at an outdoor event on the Oren, Utah campus.
Kirk was rushed to the hospital. President Donald Trump has announced Kirk’s death on social media.
Who was arrested after the shooting?
Authorities arrested the man shortly after the bullet hit Kirk, Mason said at a press conference. He said the human was not matched with the shooting suspect, but was booked on charges of obstructing justice.
Cox later said that the interested person was being detained and interviewed, revealing that the person was not a man booked on charges of obstruction.
Mason said the only information about the suspected shooter comes from security camera footage showing him wearing all the dark clothes. “But there’s no further explanation.”
“We have it, we’re analyzing it, and it’s footage from a security camera, so you can guess what it’s quality,” he said.
He added, “This shot came from here on campus from a possible location from the roof… a longer distance shot from the roof.”
What was the security of the event?
Jeff Long, the university’s police department chief, said about six officers were working at the event, and estimated more than 3,000 attendees. He said several officers were dressed in plain clothes in the crowd, and Kirk was with his own security team.
He said his agency and Kirk’s team will work together to set up security protocols.
“We train these things. You think you’re covered. Unfortunately, they happen,” he said. “You’re going to cover your base, but unfortunately you didn’t do that today. That’s why there was this tragic incident.”
“Special agents and staff from the Salt Lake City Field Office responded immediately,” said Robert Balls, a special agent in charge of the FBI’s Salt Lake City Bureau.
“We have the complete resources to focus on this investigation, including tactics, operations, research and intelligence,” he said. “I know there are a lot of questions. This is a very aggressive case and this is an early stage of the investigation. We follow all the leads and evidence.”
Do the authorities believe the shooter acted alone?
Cox said there was no information that he believes is involved.
Amanda Lee Myers is a senior crime reporter at USA Today. Follow her on x at @amandaleusat.
