Officials ask for public’s help in finding Charlie Kirk shooter

Playing null of undefined

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Utah Gov. Spencer Cox held a news conference late Thursday in Orem, Utah, on the investigation into the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, showcasing a new video of a person of interest and asking the public for help identifying them.

“We cannot do our job without the public’s help,” said Cox, adding that the FBI had received more than 7,000 leads and tips so far.

The surveillance video showed a person wearing a hat, sunglasses and a long sleeve black shirt running across a roof, climbing off the edge of the roof and dropping to the ground. The suspect is believed to have fled into a neighborhood after firing one shot and has not yet been identified, officials said Thursday.

The circumstances of the shooting drew renewed attention to an escalating threat of political violence in the United States that, in the last several years, has cut across the ideological spectrum. The assassination drew bipartisan condemnation from political leaders.

Here’s everything that happened on Thursday, Sept. 11, 2025.

Hundreds of people gather at two separate vigils in Orem

One was at a church close to Utah Valley University where Kirk was assassinated. The other was a few minutes away at a park.

A pastor said the church vigil was an opportunity for members of the community to gather and process what happened.

At the park, dozens of candles glowed beneath a photo of Kirk. People also left flowers and American flags. At one point, an instrumental version of “God Bless The U.S.A.” played.

Utah governor calls on the public for help

“We cannot do our job without the public’s help,” said Gov. Spencer Cox, adding that the FBI had received more than 7,000 leads and tips.

Cox said they want to “catch this assassin and hold him accountable.”

The governor said Utah would be prepared to seek the death penalty once an arrest was made.

Video released at press conference of person of interest running across building

Utah Department of Public Safety Commissioner Beau Mason narrated surveillance video showing the person sought in connection with the shooting running across a roof, climbing off the edge of the roof and dropping to the ground.

Mason said the person left some palm impressions, smudges and a shoe imprint. Officials hope to collect DNA.

Person sought in connection with shooting appears to be wearing shirt from disabled veterans group

Photos released by law enforcement show the person of interest in a black long-sleeve T-shirt featuring an American flag, an eagle and the words “Land of the Free, Home of the Brave.”

Joe VanFonda, the CEO of the Disabled Veterans National Foundation, said Thursday the Maryland-based non-profit had received a handful of calls from people who said the man appears to be wearing one of the group’s shirts.

He says the shirt was mailed to supporters of the foundation and it’s never been for sale. The group had shipped out thousands of shirts with the same logo to its donor list, but that a more limited number were distributed in black with long sleeves since 2023. He added that most of their group’s donors were over 60.

VanFonda is a retired Marine and said his group is non-partisan and steers clear of politics.

He says his organization had not been contacted by law enforcement.

Matthew Dowd’s firing begins flood of people facing consequences for their comments on Kirk’s death

The MSNBC political analyst, who lost his job shortly after on-air comments about Charlie Kirk’s assassination, was the first of many individuals to face consequences Thursday for public statements or posts about the shooting.

Several conservative activists have sought to identify social media users whose posts about Kirk they viewed as offensive. Right-wing influencer Laura Loomer said she would try to ruin the professional aspirations of anyone who celebrated Kirk’s death.

Both MSNBC President Rebecca Kutler and Dowd apologized for the remarks made shortly after the shooting which Kutler called “inappropriate, insensitive and unacceptable.”

The rush to police commentary appeared to have little precedent in other recent examples of political violence, such as the 2022 attack on Paul Pelosi, husband of then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, or the shooting deaths earlier this year of former Minnesota House Speaker Melissa Hortman, a Democrat, and her husband Mark.

FBI director and Utah governor to hold news conference

FBI Director Kash Patel and Utah Gov. Spencer Cox are due to hold a news conference on the investigation into the fatal shooting of Charlie Kirk.

They’ll be joined by Robert Bohls, the FBI special agent in charge at the Salt Lake City field office, and Beau Mason, Utah’s public safety commissioner.

The news conference is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. local time on the campus of Utah Valley University in Orem.

The FBI chief is at the shooting scene in Utah this evening

FBI Director Kash Patel has gone to the scene of Charlie Kirk’s shooting in Utah.

The FBI chief was spotted this evening standing and talking in a circle of others near the canopy tent where Kirk was gunned down Wednesday during an appearance before thousands at Utah Valley University.

The FBI earlier announced a reward offer of up to $100,00 for information leading to the identification and arrest of the person responsible for Kirk’s killing. The agency also released photos of a potential suspect, taken from security cameras in the area, which showed a man wearing sunglasses, a black hat and a black long-sleeve shirt.

Green Bay Packers hold moment of silence for Kirk

The Packers are playing the Washington Commanders Thursday night, one day after Kirk was assassinated.

Before the moment of silence, a public-address announcer delivered an anti-violence message from the NFL.

“The National Football League asks that you please join us in a moment of silent reflection following the murder of Charlie Kirk. The NFL condemns all violence in our communities. It will take all of us to stop hate,” the announcer said.

A tribute to victims of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks also was held before the game.

Supporters wave American flags as Kirk’s widow steps off Air Force Two in Arizona

When the plane arrived, second lady Usha Vance stepped off with Charlie Kirk’s widow, Erika. Both women wore black and sunglasses.

Vice-President JD Vance was a few steps behind them, wearing a dark suit.

Supporters nearby waved American flags as the casket was removed from the plane in Arizona, where Kirk lived with his family.

Air Force Two touches down in Phoenix

The plane carried Kirk’s casket back to his home state of Arizona.

A funeral is being planned, and Trump said earlier in the day that he’s planning to attend.

“Welcome home, Charlie. You didn’t deserve it. May God bless your family,” an unknown voice said on the air traffic control tower frequency after Air Force Two landed.

Vance helps carry Kirk’s casket

U.S. Vice-President JD Vance joined a group of uniformed service members on the tarmac in Salt Lake City.

Tyler Bower, who worked with Kirk at Turning Point, posted a video on social media.

Vance is transporting the casket to Arizona, where Kirk lived with his family, aboard Air Force Two.

Law enforcement officials say they have received over 200 public tips in shooting investigation

The Utah Department of Public Safety released an update Thursday evening. Most of the information had been released by officials earlier in the day.

Officials said earlier they had recovered a high-power, bolt-action rifle near the shooting scene.

Law enforcement was investigating inscriptions on the ammunition, but the update did not provide details as investigators continue to work to identify the shooter and their motive.

Officials say they are continuing “search for any and all potential suspects related to this incident” and are pursuing multiple leads.

The agency asked the public to continue sending tips in, adding that “no tip is too small.”

Law enforcement arrests person unrelated to Kirk shooting at crime scene

The Utah Department of Public Safety says the man ignored crime scene tape, entered the secured area and began taking photos of the scene and officers. He fled when agents ordered him to stop and attempted to identify him but other officers apprehended him.

He’s been booked into the county jail for felony obstruction and trespassing.

Trump says he hopes people will not respond with violence to Kirk’s killing

Trump said Kirk “was an advocate of nonviolence” and said, “That’s the way I’d like to see people respond” to his killing.

The president said he thought progress was being made to find the shooter.

“Hopefully we’ll have him and we will deal with him very appropriately,” Trump said.

Trump describes having a long conversation with Kirk’s widow

Trump says he and Erika Kirk spoke at length on Thursday.

“She’s devastated, she’s absolutely devastated, as you can imagine,” he told reporters at the White House. He didn’t get into the specifics of what they discussed.

Charlie Kirk is also survived by two young children.

Trump says ‘they’re making great strides’ on finding Kirk’s assassin

Speaking of law enforcement, the president said, “They’re very talented people, let’s see what happens. We hope they can do it soon.”

Trump plans to attend Kirk’s funeral

The president expects it will take place in Arizona, maybe next weekend.

“They’ve asked me to go, and I think have an obligation to be there,” he told reporters as he left the White House for a trip to New York.

Founder of group that used to direct Kirk’s security says it typically anticipated close-range threats

Gregory Shaffer, founder of Shaffer Security Group, oversaw Kirk’s personal security detail from 2015 to 2022.

Shaffer said that during that period there were usually around five people in Kirk’s security detail: one beside him on stage, and others covering the front and back. They typically anticipated a close-range threats like someone attempting to climb on stage or throw something at Kirk.

It was not immediately clear if the details reflected the security situation at the event where Kirk was killed as Shaffer Security Group no longer serves Turning Point USA.

“You don’t expect a threat to come from 200 yards away on a college campus,” Shaffer said, adding that 3,000 people was a relatively small event for Kirk.

“We didn’t have enough manpower to put people on the rooftops, we didn’t have the funding to pay for a pair of binoculars that cost $3,000,” Shaffer said about his time working with Kirk. He added that campuses were expected to be a low-risk venue.

Wiles says Trump received texts and phone calls Wednesday night from foreign leaders on Kirk

White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles says the messages and calls to the president were from European and Asian leaders expressing condolences about Kirk.

“Charlie was very much a part of this family and maybe the highest profile MAGA person outside of those that are working here,” Wiles said Thursday in an interview on the radio show hosted by Republican strategist Scott Jennings.

“I think it shook everybody to their core,” she added.

On Kirk’s X account, Turning Point says group ‘crushed and devastated’

Posthumously posting under Kirk’s X handle, the organization he founded remembered Kirk on Thursday as “a leader, a mentor, and a friend.”

The post’s authors also noted that Kirk was “no stranger to threats,” receiving “thousands of them throughout his life.”

Alongside the post appeared a black and white image of Kirk walking onstage at a Turning Point event, with the lights and pyrotechnics that have become the organization’s trademark.

Prior to Thursday’s post, Kirk’s final X message had been several hours before he was shot Wednesday, concerning the stabbing death of a young Ukrainian refugee on a Charlotte, North Carolina, commuter train last month.

Bomb threat at DNC headquarters ‘not credible,’ party spokesperson says

A bomb threat at the DNC headquarters was determined to be not credible, according to a statement from a DNC spokesperson.

U.S. Capitol Police said after being alerted to the threat, they did not find anything outside of the building. Out of an abundance of caution, they were checking the interior of the building.

“As DNC Chair Ken Martin has said, political violence in every form has no place in our country,” the DNC statement said.

Police respond to bomb threat at Democratic National Committee headquarters

U.S. Capitol Police are responding to a bomb threat at Democratic National Committee headquarters in Washington, according to a person familiar with the incident who requested anonymity because the situation is fluid.

An email sent to Senate offices said that “staff are asked to remain clear of the police activity” and said more information would be forthcoming.

There was no additional information immediately available.

Utah police delay Kirk case update due to ‘rapid developments’

Less than an hour ahead of a planned news conference, the Utah Department of Public Safety called off the 2:45 p.m. ET (12:45 p.m. MT) event, citing “rapid developments in our investigation.”

Authorities said they would release an updated time later Thursday.

A search for the suspect in Kirk’s killing was ongoing and authorities have released images of a person of interest, as well as offered a reward for information and solicited help from the public.

Charlie Kirk’s shooting death exposes security gaps at political events

The assassination offers the latest example of how ordinary security measures can be defeated in an era of escalating political violence, when anyone associated with the political process is a potential target, including influencers.

Kirk was in a familiar setting Wednesday before a large crowd at a university in Utah, a red state where voting trends largely aligned with his pro-MAGA politics. The conservative firebrand appeared with his own security team, as he has at scores of events on other campuses.

In hindsight, those with experience protecting high-profile public officials and dignitaries say more could have been done to prevent the fatal shooting.

Security experts interviewed by The Associated Press questioned whether the event was sufficiently staffed but also acknowledged the limitations of both campus police forces and outdoor venues. They said only the inner ring closest to Kirk appeared to be secure, leaving the outer and middle rings exposed.

Law enforcement to give update on Kirk shooting

At 2:45 p.m. ET (12:45 p.m. MT), officials in Utah are planning to give another update in their investigation into Kirk’s fatal shooting at Utah Valley University.

Earlier Thursday, state and federal officials gave details about a potential suspect and said they had video footage of the person. In the hours since, the FBI has released photos of a “person of interest” and a link to an online form where people can upload photos and video that could potentially be helpful to authorities.

The FBI also announced a $100,000 reward in exchange for information leading to identification of the shooter.

Here’s what some other leaders who’ve experienced political violence are saying

• 1. U.S. President Donald Trump: Charlie Kirk was “a martyr for truth and freedom“
• 2. Rep. Nancy Pelosi of California: “Political violence has absolutely no place in our nation.”
• 3. Former rep. Gabrielle Giffords of Arizona: “Democratic societies will always have political disagreements, but we must never allow America to become a country that confronts those disagreements with violence.”
• 4. Rep. Steve Scalise of Louisiana: “Please join me in praying for Charlie Kirk after this senseless act.”
• 5. Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro: “The attack on Charlie Kirk is horrifying and this growing type of unconscionable violence cannot be allowed in our society.”
• 6. Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer: “We should all come together to stand up against any and all forms of political violence.”
• 7. U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.: “Once again, a bullet has silenced the most eloquent truth teller of an era.”

Politicians cancel public appearances after shooting

Elected officials and activists across the political spectrum are canceling their speaking engagements this week, citing concerns of political violence.

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, one of the nation’s most prominent progressive voices, has postponed her visit to Raleigh, North Carolina, where she was scheduled to attend a rally with state Democrats on Sunday. She said the cancellation was because of security concerns.

“The scourge of gun violence and political violence must end,” Ocasio-Cortez said. “The shooting of Charlie Kirk is the latest incident of this chaos and it must stop. We cannot go down this road.”

Ben Shapiro, a conservative influencer and political commentator who drew a similar audience to Kirk, canceled a book signing at the Ronald Reagan Presidential and other speaking engagements on his public calendar immediately following the shooting. Shapiro said in a post on X that he was “utterly stunned and heartbroken and sick to my soul” to learn of Kirk’s death.

Vance to fly Kirk’s casket and family from Utah to Arizona aboard Air Force Two

That’s according to a source with knowledge of the planning but not authorized to speak publicly about them.

Vance shuffled his schedule Thursday, nixing plans to attend a Sept. 11 commemoration in New York City and heading instead to Utah, where Kirk, his friend, was assassinated Wednesday.

While in Utah, Vance and his wife, Usha, were to meet with Kirk’s family and close friends, the person with knowledge told the AP.

Afterward, Vance will fly Kirk’s casket and family with him aboard Air Force Two from Utah to Arizona, where Kirk made his home.

Temporary flight restrictions were issued earlier Thursday for both areas, indicated movements of a high-profile person, like Vance.

Bipartisan group of senators condemns Charlie Kirk killing

“We’re just here as a group to say America cannot govern itself this way,” GOP Sen. Lindsey Graham said to open a news conference Thursday, flanked by a mix of Democratic and Republican senators.

GOP Sen. Katie Britt said Kirk has influenced many people, including her children.

“Talking through this with them last night is just unthinkable,” said an emotional Britt. “The time for unity, the time for peace, it is now.”

The news conference was to highlight a bipartisan push to designate Russia as a state sponsor of terrorism and included Democratic Sens. Richard Blumenthal and Amy Klobuchar.

Klobuchar highlighted multiple shootings that had happened in her own state of Minnesota this year, including the killing of a top Democratic state lawmaker.

“It has to end. And we have to join together, to condemn it,” Klobuchar said.

FBI offering US$100K reward for information on Charlie Kirk shooting

The FBI says it’s offering a reward of up to US$100,000 for information leading to the identification and arrest of whoever is responsible for Kirk’s death.

Anyone with information is asked to call 1-800-CALL-FBI. Officials also published the link for a form where people can upload videos and photos.

Earlier Thursday, law enforcement officials disseminated two photos, seeking the public’s help in identifying the “person of interest.”

Analyst Matthew Dowd loses MSNBC job following Charlie Kirk commentary

Dowd had said on-air that Kirk had made incendiary statements, and that “hateful words” can lead to “hateful actions.” Dowd later apologized, saying he in no way meant to imply Kirk was responsible for the attack, but the damage had been done. MSNBC President Rebecca Kutler said the remarks were inappropriate and insensitive.

Meanwhile, a reporter for Floridapolitics.com was suspended for texting a congressman a question about gun control very shortly after Wednesday’s attack. Publisher Peter Schorsch said the timing was inappropriate.

The campus is silent as investigators hunt for a shooter

The once bustling halls and classrooms of Utah Valley University sat silent Thursday, save for some university staff and law enforcement guarding police tape in the hot sun.

Television and newspaper reporters were set up for press conferences in the building just off the shooting site, but police officers guarded most views of the amphitheater, shaped like baseball’s home plate, where Kirk had been speaking and taking questions from an audience of thousands the day before.

The FBI has released photos of a `person of interest’

The agency released two photos of a `person of interest’ in connection with the shooting of Charlie Kirk as investigators appeal to the public for information. The photos show a person wearing a hat, sunglasses and a long sleeve black shirt.

Rifle and ammunition being checked for clues

Law enforcement recovered a Mauser .30-calibre bolt-action rifle hidden in a towel in a wooded area near the university campus along what they suspect to be the shooter’s path as they fled the scene, according to information circulated among law enforcement and shared with The Associated Press.

In addition to the spent cartridge recovered in the chamber, three other rounds were loaded in the magazine. The weapon and ammunition are now being forensically analyzed by law enforcement at a federal lab for clues that could help identify the shooter or their motive.

Utah campus classrooms show how students prepared for a shooter

Some attendees who bolted after the gunshot rushed into two classrooms full of students, where the periodic table adorned the wall and formulas were written in blue on the whiteboard. They pulled tables from the centre of the room to barricade the door, stacking them atop each other. Others were turned on their side in a corner for a last ditch defence.

Desperate, someone grabbed an electric pencil sharpener and wrapped the cord tightly around the door handle, then tied the sharpener to a chair leg.

Thursday morning, the classrooms were quiet and in disarray. Backpacks and notebooks were left on the desks, some scribbled with notes on electromotive force in green pen and pink highlighter.

Trump to speak with Kirk’s family later Thursday

The president said he plans to speak with Kirk’s family on Thursday afternoon, and Vice-President JD Vance is traveling to Utah Thursday to meet with Kirk’s family in person.

“They have a virtual manhunt out there. So we’ll see what happens,” Trump said in a brief exchange with reporters shortly after attending the a 9/11 memorial ceremony at the Pentagon. “We hope we get ‘em.”

Scott Walker says Young America’s Foundation won’t stop holding events

The former Wisconsin governor, now president of the foundation, said his group will continue to hold events on college campuses to attract young people to the Republican Party. But they cancelled a Thursday night event in Santa Barbara featuring conservative commentator Ben Shapiro out of respect for Kirk and his family, Walker said.

“We will review our security measures to ensure the safety of our students, speakers, and staff,” Walker said in a statement on the group’s website. “This will likely mean that we will change venues and security measures for many of our events. But we will not stop. Doing so would mean that the evil assassin who did this wins. He must not win. The best way to honour Charlie’s life is to continue his work.”

Gov. Ron DeSantis: political violence threatens ‘what America’s all about’

The Florida Republican honoured Kirk and called for nonviolent political participation as he marked 24 years since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks at an event in Palm Harbor on Thursday.

“The viability of a republic really depends on our ability to fight those battles in the proper arena, leading into voting, leading into debate,” DeSantis said. “It is certainly not that you kill somebody in order to silence them.”

Students at Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton plan to gather Thursday evening to honour Kirk, holding a memorial service and prayer vigil at the student union on the Palm Beach County campus. “May he rest in Peace,” the FAU Turning Point USA chapter posted on its Instagram account. “Security will be present.”

Utah senator Mike Lee says Kirk’s death ‘hits home’

The Republican said the death of his friend “hits particularly hard.” Lee said he talked with his fellow conservative “very regularly, sometimes several times a day.”

Their last text exchange was a short time before Kirk’s death, Lee said at a hearing Thursday of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee. Lee is the panel’s chairman.

Lee said the shooting also “hits home particularly heavy with me” because Utah Valley University is just a few miles from where he grew up and near where he now lives. He’s attended events there since he was a teenager.

“And this is a safe place. Not the kind of place where you expect something like this to happen. It’s truly tragic.”

Openly carrying a long gun can be legal on college campuses in Utah

Utah is one of 14 states that allow some level of concealed carry of firearms on public college and university campuses. The other 13 include Arkansas, Georgia, Idaho, Kansas, Minnesota, Mississippi, Montana, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, West Virginia, Wisconsin and Wyoming. The remaining 36 states allow colleges and universities to keep concealed firearms off campus, according to the anti-violence organization Everytown for Gun Safety.

In May, after action by the Utah legislature, a law took affect that allows anyone at least 18 years old with a valid Utah concealed weapon permit to carry a weapon on campus, including in an “open” fashion. Prior to the passage and the signing of H.B. 128, the firearm had to have been concealed.

U.S. warns visa applicants against cheering Kirk’s assassination

The State Department is warning foreign visa applicants and holders that they could be denied a U.S. visa or deported if they praise or make light of Kirk’s assassination.

In an unusual post to X, Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau said he’s personally disgusted by some posts he’s seen, and that consular officials have been directed “to undertake appropriate action.”

“In light of yesterday’s horrific assassination of a leading political figure, I want to underscore that foreigners who glorify violence and hatred are not welcome visitors to our country,” Landau said. He asked social media users to copy him on any posts they see that could be relevant.

Earlier this year, Landau announced that he had revoked visas for British punk-rap performer Bob Vylan and his crew after they led crowds in chanting “death” to the Israeli military.

Chuck Schumer calls political violence ‘enemy of democracy’

The Senate Democratic leader called for the condemnation of political violence following Kirk’s “heinous murder.”

He also asked on the Senate floor for prayers for Kirk’s family.

“There should be no finger pointing because this is an attack on our democracy itself,” Schumer said.

Saying the attack on Kirk was “heinous, cowardly and would make everyone sick to their stomachs,” Schumer also decried the 2017 shooting that wounded current House Majority Leader Steve Scalise and “the politically motivated murders” of Minnesota state Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband this year.

Schumer also mentioned a shooting at a suburban Denver high school on Wednesday, in which two students were reportedly injured.

Investigators analyzing a palm print, other evidence

Investigators are confident they will find the shooter, said Utah Department of Public Safety Commissioner Beau Mason.

They now have images of a suspect and were analyzing a palm print and a shoe impression found near the scene, he said.

Authorities aren’t planning to release images of the suspect unless they need the public’s help, Mason said.

Two other people initially detained turned out to be uninvolved and were released. Unfortunately, they’ve been getting death threats, Mason said: “They don’t deserve that.”

Morning scenes after Kirk assassination

Thursday morning, the canopy tent Kirk was shot under stood disheveled in the morning light, still stamped with the words “PROVE ME WRONG,” a slogan commonly used at Kirk’s events.

Beyond it, the amphitheater seats were strewn with bags and belongings left in the attendees’ mad rush to escape.

Investigators picked through the scene, snapping photos and carrying boxes as they ducked back and forth under crime tape.

911 callers describe possible suspect after Kirk shooting

A batch of 911 traffic released Thursday from the Utah County Department of Public Safety via Broadcastify includes callers describing seeing a person on campus wearing “jeans, black shirt, black mask” and carrying a “long rifle.”

Another caller mentions a black vest

During a news conference on Thursday, law enforcement officials said they had obtained video footage of a suspected shooter and had recovered a high-powered, bolt-action rifle from the wooded area where the suspect fled.

Authorities also said the shooter “appeared to be of college age” and “blended in” with students on the campus.

Pete Hegseth pays tribute to Kirk at 9/11 remembrance

The Pentagon chief, who spoke before Trump at Thursday’s Pentagon ceremony, remembered the conservative activist as an “American patriot.”

“Charlie, we love you,” Hegseth said. “Know that you have heard the Lord’s words. Well done, good and faithful servant. Full heart, clear eyes, like those on 9/11, you will never be forgotten.”

Congressional Democratic leaders call for unity after Kirk shooting

At the U.S. Capitol on Thursday, Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer said “all Americans should come together and feel and mourn what happened.”

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said this was a moment for Americans to unite “not as Democrats or Republicans, as Blacks or Whites or Latinos or Asians but as Americans. We need to come together as Americans.”

The leaders spoke to reporters after a bicameral Democratic legislative meeting.

Pentagon ceremony moved inside its walls

The Pentagon’s 9/11 observance ceremony, which has traditionally been held near the building’s memorial outside its walls, was moved into the internal courtyard late Wednesday night.

Defence officials acknowledged the move at the event featuring Trump, but deferred questions to the White House.

It came hours after the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk at an outdoor event at a Utah university. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Trump says he will award Kirk Presidential Medal of Freedom

During remarks at the Pentagon, Trump said he would posthumously award Kirk with the honour at a later date.

The United States’ highest civilian honour, the Presidential Medal of Freedom is awarded by presidents to people who have made significant contributions in a variety of areas, including culture and public service.

In his first term, Trump bestowed the honour to a number of people, including conservative firebrand commentator Rush Limbaugh.

Speaker Johnson says congressional security is being reviewed

House Speaker Mike Johnson said Thursday that security is “a big concern” for members of Congress and is under “a very thorough review.”

But Johnson told reporters at the U.S. Capitol that he had seen security estimates into the billions of dollars for all 435 House members, which he said is “not a possibility.”

He did mention a pilot program through which members can be reimbursed for hiring private security when they’re on the road or in their districts.

“Somebody who’s arguing the other side of an issue is not your enemy, they’re your fellow American,” Johnson said, in a call for civility. “We’re all made in God’s image and so we need to see one another that way and not as enemies.”

FBI calls Kirk shooting ‘targeted event’

The person who fatally shot Kirk is believed to have targeted him at an event on a Utah college campus, said Robert Bohls, the FBI Special Agent in Charge at the Salt Lake City field office.

The shooter is still on the run, and it isn’t clear how far the suspect may have gotten, but the nearby woods have been secured, authorities said.

Authorities say Kirk suspect ‘appears to be of college age’

Law enforcement officials said the suspect they are seeking “appears to be of college age” and “blended in” with students on the college campus.

Officials asked the public to share any video and images they may have to help identify the person. Authorities said they have video footage of the suspected shooter but did not confirm that includes images of the person’s face.

A murder weapon has been recovered, authorities say

A high powered bolt-action rifle was found in a wooded area where the shooter fled, said FBI Special Agent in Charge Robert Bohls said.

Authorities say suspected Kirk shooter arrived on campus just before noon.

Utah Department of Public Safety Commissioner Beau Mason said authorities tracked the suspected shooter’s movements after he jumped from a building, moved through stairwells and ultimately fled from campus into a neighborhood.

“We do have good video of this individual,” Mason said.

Kirk leaves a legacy

The 31-year-old activist personified the pugnacious, populist conservatism that has taken over the Republican Party in the age of Trump.

An unabashed Christian conservative who often made provocative statements about gender, race and politics, Kirk launched his organization, Turning Point USA, in 2012, targeting younger people and venturing onto liberal-leaning college campuses where many GOP activists were nervous to tread.

Searching for the shooter

Federal, state and local authorities are still searching for an unidentified shooter and working what they called “multiple active crime scenes.” Two people were detained Wednesday but neither was determined to be connected to the shooting and both were released, Utah public safety officials said. Authorities did not immediately identify a motive.

The Utah Department of Public Safety says its commissioner, as well as the FBI special agent in charge, will speak to reporters at 9 a.m. ET on the campus of Utah Valley University in Orem. The news conference will be streamed on the department’s Instagram page.

Trump declares Kirk a ‘martyr’

In a video message from the Oval Office late Wednesday, Trump called Kirk “a martyr for truth and freedom” and condemned the “demonizing” of political opponents in the U.S., even as he claimed the rhetoric of the “radical left” was “directly responsible” for the assassination of Kirk. The assassination drew bipartisan condemnation.

The assassination has drawn bipartisan condemnation, but a national reckoning over ways to prevent political grievances from manifesting as deadly violence seemed elusive.

Vance is expected to meet with Kirk’s family in Salt Lake City

Vice-President JD Vance and his wife, Usha, are set to visit with Kirk’s family on Thursday in Salt Lake City.

According to a person familiar with Vance’s plans, but not authorized to speak about them publicly, the Vances will visit Utah instead of New York, which had been their planned destination for an outdoor ceremony to commemorate Sept. 11.

The Associated Press