(WASHINGTON) -- New data shows U.S. students continue to fall behind their peers in reading as the country's achievement gap widens, according to results from the latest globally recognized international exam.

The 2025 Program for International Assessment, or PISA, found that 15-year-old U.S. students' reading scores fell 14 points from the last time the test was administered, in 2022. The assessment also found that the achievement gap among U.S. readers in the 90th percentile and the 10th percentile was the largest among any other country included in the report.

The results come as reading scores among U.S. fourth and eighth grade students worsened in 2024, according to the National Assessment of Educational Progress, dubbed the nation's report card. The recent plunge has renewed the conversation around the literacy crisis gripping the nation's education system and the debate over COVID-19 school closures.

The Department of Education's National Center for Education Statistics, or NCES, which administers both tests to American students, releases the PISA results every three years.

Acting NCES Commissioner Matthew Soldner noted in a press release Tuesday that the performance gap between higher and lower end U.S. students is larger today than it was 10 years ago.

Combined with the NAEP -- the largest assessment of U.S. students' performance in public and private schools across all 50 states and the District of Columbia -- Kevin Huffman, CEO of education nonprofit Accelerate, told ABC News the PISA results are troubling.

"People should have been concerned for a while about the direction of scores for older kids in this country," Huffman said.

The international education scores confirm a "decade of stagnation and a devastating gap" for American students, according to Education Secretary Linda McMahon.

"This moment is a stress test for our nation's future," McMahon wrote in a statement. "To pass it, we must enact a hard reset that stops protecting a failed status quo and instead builds a system that empowers state leaders and embraces innovative learning options through school choice."

PISA -- which is organized by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, or OECD -- is the industry standard for ranking students from different countries, according to education experts. More than 700,000 students in roughly 90 education systems worldwide, including more than 30 developed nations in the OECD, participated in 2025.

Huffman, the former Tennessee education commissioner, stressed that the gap for the highest and lowest performing students from the assessments was exacerbated by the interrupted instructional period most U.S. students experienced amid the COVID-19 pandemic. He suggested that the disturbing trend in American education will worsen without accountability at the state level.

"I do worry about the idea that if top performing kids do OK, it decreases the urgency among a group of people who otherwise might be pushing to improve educational performance for all kids," Huffman said.

Despite the sobering data, U.S. average scores in reading and science were higher than the OECD average in those subjects, according to the PISA results.

According to NCES, only Singapore and parts of China scored higher averages that were "significantly different" than the U.S. in both of those subjects.

The U.S. ranked 13th overall in reading and science but fell outside the top 25 in math (27th). There was no significant change in scores for science and math from 2022 and 2015, which is how PISA calculates short-term and long-term trends.

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(WASHINGTON) -- A National Transportation Safety Board investigation is underway after an Amazon Air cargo plane overran a runway at Miami International Airport on Sunday, leaving five people dead and five injured.

Of the five people injured, three remain hospitalized, two of whom are in critical condition and one of whom is in stable condition, Rosie Cordero-Stutz, the Miami-Dade County sheriff, said in a news conference on Tuesday.

The five deceased victims were identified in the news conference as: Rolando Aleman Leon, 55; Yoel Rodriguez Narajo, 53; Julio C. Pineda, 75; Carlos Acosta Fajardo, 53; and Javierk Reyes Quevedo, 47.

The aircraft's two pilots were treated and have been released from the hospital, according to the sheriff's office.

At a news conference on Monday, NTSB Chairwoman Jennifer Homendy said the Amazon cargo plane hit a van with seven people inside and an SUV when it overran the runway. The van was inside the airport perimeter and the SUV was outside the perimeter, Homendy said.

All of the people who were killed were in the van at the time of the crash, according to the sheriff's office.

A team of 32 people is currently on site and will be documenting the scene and collecting "perishable evidence" over the week, Homendy said. She described the scene as "devastating."

"I would describe it in word one word of devastating, utter devastation," Homendy said. "I mean, you can see, on the paved surface, tire marks that [continue] through the grass. There's debris everywhere. The Econoline van is torn apart. It is, you know, certainly must have been devastating."

Homendy said the flight was arriving from Puerto Rico with two crew members onboard and that it was the third trip for the plane that day, having gone from Cincinnati to Miami to San Juan before heading back to Miami.

The accident occurred at 1:53 p.m. ET when the plane, Amazon Air Flight 7598 -- a Boeing 767-33 Alpha operated by 21 Air LLC, based in Miami -- overran runway 30.

The aircraft collided with a 2012 white Ford Econoline van with seven people inside. The van was owned by Professional Ocean Service Corp., a company that cleans aircraft, according to the briefing.

The plane then went past the airport perimeter fence and hit a Toyota Corolla Cross LE SUV. Homendy said the plane traveled about 1,300 feet past the paved runway surface. Victims from the crash were limited to the two vehicles the plane struck, Homendy said.

Homendy added that there is fuel everywhere that will need to be remediated as well as fuel that is being removed from the plane.

The aircraft's flight data recorder and the cockpit voice recorder were recovered and are being sent to the NTSB Monday evening to be evaluated, according to Homendy.

The NTSB team will look at several factors during their investigation, including crew training, the company's procedures, air traffic controllers, pilot and controller transmissions, components of the plane and weather conditions, but will not be determining probable cause while at the scene, Homendy said.

"We can only work to prevent the next [accident or tragedy] if our recommendations at the end of an investigation are implemented," she said. "If we are in the business of repeatedly investigating an accident or tragedy, and our recommendations are not implemented, then we're here again and again and again."

Both the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and Amazon confirmed the incident in separate statements on Sunday evening.

"21 Air Flight 7598 overran the runway after landing at Miami International Airport around 2 p.m. local time on Sunday, Sept. 6. The Boeing 767-300 cargo aircraft departed from Luis Munoz Marin International Airport in San Juan, Puerto Rico," the FAA statement said.

"Our deepest sympathies remain with the families, loved ones, and all those affected by this devastating tragedy." Kelly Nantel, a spokesperson for Amazon, said in an updated statement on Tuesday. "We’ll fully cooperate with [NTSB] and support any other investigating authorities and we’ll also continue to coordinate with 21 Air, which operated the flight. Amazon leaders are also meeting with local officials, first responders, and others in the community to offer our support."

The CEO of 21 Air said in a statement Sunday night the company is "devastated by the accident involving one of our aircraft in Miami today."

"Our deepest condolences are with the families and loved ones of those who lost their lives. Our immediate priorities are supporting those affected, assisting the authorities, and ensuring that accurate information is communicated as it becomes available," the CEO, Keith Winters, said in a statement. "We are cooperating fully with the National Transportation Safety Board, the Federal Aviation Administration, and local authorities. The circumstances of the accident are under investigation."

"Our hearts and prayers are with every employee and every family whose lives have been forever changed," Professional Ocean Service Corp. said in a statement. "We grieve with those who lost a loved one and pray for the healing and recovery of those who were injured."

Preliminary data from Flightradar24 shows the plane's speed was approximately 128 mph as it went off the runway.

Miami-Dade Fire Rescue said Sunday that around 200 personnel responded to the incident and worked quickly to both conduct search and rescue and extinguish flames caused by the crash.

"One person was trapped under one of the involved vehicles and had to be extricated by specialized MDFR technical rescue personnel," the department said in a statement. "Specialized MDFR hazardous materials (HazMat) units safely shut down the aircraft's engine and worked to mitigate a fuel leak."

"There were a total of 10 patients, and MDFR transported five patients by ground. Three were transported to a local trauma center. The other two were assessed and transported to local area hospitals," the statement added.

A ground stop at Miami International Airport was lifted around three hours after the incident, with two of the four runways now reopened, according to officials. 

"Our prayers remain with the families of the five individuals who lost their lives as a result of this tragic incident," Cordero-Stutz said. "We are also praying for those who were injured and wish them a full and speedy recovery."

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(WASHINGTON) -- Smithsonian Secretary Lonnie Bunch is stepping down from his position, the institution said Tuesday, after seven years of leading the world's largest museum, education and research complex.

"I have fought for as long as I can. I love this country and I love the Smithsonian and I will always work to defend our more perfect Union," Bunch told ABC News in a statement, confirming his resignation on Tuesday.

Bunch’s resignation comes amid mounting attacks against the Smithsonian from the Trump administration, which has accused Smithsonian leadership of presenting a “radical view” of American history and threatening to withhold federal funds and support.

“It is with very mixed emotions and heartfelt gratitude that I announce my retirement from the Smithsonian,” Bunch said in a statement. “I have spent nearly half of my life working at and being part of the Smithsonian family, and what a privilege it has been. There is no place like the Smithsonian—it has been one of the great loves of my life, and I am extraordinarily proud of what we have accomplished together. I leave with pride and sadness, gratitude and joy, and with enormous confidence in the people who will carry this remarkable institution forward.”

Bunch, who has been a part of the Smithsonian Institution for the past 38 years, was named secretary in June 2019, making him the first African American and first historian to serve in the role. Bunch did not reference the ongoing attacks from the White House in his parting statement.

“It is time for my next chapter, a chapter that will allow me to continue to protect the integrity of the Smithsonian and to champion the importance of a history that illuminates and celebrates the complex story of our nation,” Bunch said. “The Smithsonian has been a reservoir of science, history, art and culture that freely allows the public to find knowledge, understanding, clarity, education, hope and a bit of joy. I will always carry the Smithsonian within me.”

Bunch reflected on his legacy in a July interview with ABC News to mark America's 250th birthday.

Asked about the White House's criticism of the Smithsonian, Bunch said, “I think that for me it’s -- I'm always open to any criticism, any comments. We want to be in the best institutions we can be."

He added, "But I feel very strongly that a nation has to understand the totality of its past, the complexity of its past, in order to understand greatness of a nation."

In July, the White House released a scathing 162-page report accusing the Smithsonian Institution of engaging in "extreme political activism" and presenting "a radical view of American history."

The report, which was published by the White House Domestic Policy Council, took aim at the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History (NMAH), accusing its leadership of adopting "an ideological framework that no longer treats the American story as a shared national inheritance to be taught or celebrated, but as a political instrument to divide, dispirit, and discourage our citizens."

The report came amid a review of the Smithsonian that was launched in response to President Donald Trump's March 27, 2025, executive order, "Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History."

The executive order directed Vice President J.D. Vance, in consultation with the president's advisers on domestic policy, "to remove improper ideology" from Smithsonian institutions, arguing that materials that cast America in a "negative light" have no place in federal cultural institutions.

Amid escalating attacks from the White House, NMAH Director Anthea Hartig became the first Smithsonian official in July to testify on the issue before Congress.

In her testimony, Hartig pushed back against the White House July 4 report, asserting that the museum "does not take sides" in political debates.

"Our work is governed by the Smithsonian standards of scholarship, accuracy, independence, and nonpartisanship," Hartig said in her opening remarks before a House Subcommittee on Delivering Government Efficiency. "The museum does not take sides in America's political debates. We preserve and document the evidence of American life in all of its breadth, so that the public can encounter the past and draw their own conclusions."

Bunch, who met with Trump at the White House last August, has repeatedly affirmed the Smithsonian's "independence" from political influence.

Referencing his conversations with Trump in a September 2025 letter to the institution's employees, Bunch underscored the independence of the Smithsonian, saying it was "paramount." He also told employees that the institution remains committed to telling the "American story" and "will always be, a place that welcomes all Americans and the world."

The Smithsonian is overseen by a 17-member governing body, known as the Board of Regents.

Franklin D. Raines, chair of the Board of Regents, said board members will announce an acting secretary as they begin a national search for Bunch's successor.

"I have had the honor of working with Lonnie Bunch for more than two decades, first when he was the founding director of the National Museum of African American History and Culture and ultimately when he became the 14th Secretary of the Smithsonian," Raines said in a statement on Tuesday. “I have seen firsthand how Secretary Bunch’s leadership of our 21 museums and the National Zoo has illuminated the nation’s past, opened pathways to new knowledge and powered creativity and innovation."

ABC News' Kyra Phillips and John Santucci contributed to this report.

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(NEW YORK) -- Lindsay Clancy's attorney Kevin Reddington said he is hopeful for an agreement between the defense and the district attorney after Clancy's trial ended last week in a hung jury.

Reddington also said he hopes President Donald Trump would consider a pardon for his client.

"Mr. President, I would hope that you would consider this young lady and the person she is, what she's been through, and consider a pardon," Reddington said Tuesday in an interview on "Good Morning America."

Clancy pleaded not guilty to three murder charges for the deaths of her 5-year-old daughter Cora, 3-year-old son Dawson and infant son Callan at the family's home in Duxbury, a Boston suburb, on Jan. 24, 2023.

Clancy's five-week trial ended in a mistrial on Sept. 4, after a jury failed to reach a unanimous verdict following over a week of deliberations.

When asked about the trial on the day the mistrial was declared, the president told reporters that he was following it, saying, "It's on television so much, it's hard not to follow it."

"Look, she did a horrible, horrible thing. Can't be worse," he said of Clancy. "But you'll find out what the price to pay is. There'll be a price. It's going to be mental institution or jail or something, but I guess they're going to go through another trial. It's too bad."

When asked for comment on Reddington's remarks, the White House pointed back to Trump's comments Friday. 

The president has broad authority to issue pardons and commutations, but the power is strictly limited to federal offenses. In her trial, Clancy faced state offenses in being charged with three counts of first-degree murder and was not convicted, therefore she is not eligible for a pardon by the president. Instead, she would need to appeal to state authorities in Massachusetts, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.

When it comes to the prospect of beginning a retrial for Clancy, Reddington said he hopes he and Plymouth County District Attorney Timothy Cruz are able to come to an agreement.

"He’s a very hard-charging prosecutor, a conservative gentleman," Reddington said of Cruz. "I hope however after sitting through this trial and seeing the evidence that was presented from the government as well as from the defense, that he would revisit that issue and hopefully would be able to work something out that would be acceptable to both sides."

In remarks on Sept. 4 after the mistrial was declared, Cruz declined to announce an immediate decision about retrying Clancy.

"I appreciate the fact that there are strong feelings and opinions tied to this case," Cruz said outside the courthouse. "However, our job is to set aside our feelings and focus solely on the facts. The facts are Lindsay Clancy killed her three children and the evidence suggested to us that she was in control of her actions when she committed those homicides."

The two sides are scheduled to be in court on Sept. 29 to determine next steps following the mistrial.

Reddington said he was "upset" with the mistrial because of information he said the jury foreperson provided about the lone juror holdout, whom Reddington has said was a male juror.

"He had agreed, according to the note from the forelady, that he had doubt but he would not present the law of reasonable doubt as presented by the judge," Reddington said. "That's not right and that's why I was upset."

Throughout Clancy's trial, much of the testimony centered on whether or not Clancy was suffering from postpartum psychosis -- considered a psychiatric emergency, according to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists -- when she strangled her children and attempted to take her own life, and whether she should be held criminally liable for the killings.

Jurors in Massachusetts are instructed that in order to prove a defendant is criminally responsible for their conduct, prosecutors must "prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the defendant did not suffer from a mental disease or defect at the time of the alleged offense," according to the Massachusetts Court System.

Reddington said that critics who call the so-called insanity defense a rationalization don't understand what he says Clancy went through.

"These people don't understand," he said. "They don't know what she went through. They didn't see her text messages. They didn't see her journal. They didn't see the notes that she wrote."

He continued, "She reached out to everybody and anybody that would listen to it and kept saying, 'I am not good. I am not well,' and it wasn't good."

If you or someone you know is struggling with thoughts of suicide, call or text 988 or chat 988lifeline.org. Free, confidential help is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. You are not on your own.

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A 38-year-old Ohio man was arrested Sunday after allegedly "pushing his way" through a crowd at a fair where Amy Acton, the Democratic gubernatorial nominee in Ohio, was speaking, according to authorities.

The suspect, identified by police as Patrick Havas, allegedly knocked two people to the ground before being taken into custody, according to the Mahoning County Sheriff's Office.

"After his arrest, two handguns and a set of 'brass knuckles' were recovered," a sheriff's office spokesperson said in a statement Sunday. "Investigators say no weapons were ever brandished or even removed from their holsters."

The Ohio State Highway Patrol said in a later statement that Havas was booked at the Mahoning County Jail on charges of disorderly conduct and two counts of assault.

Acton was not harmed, according to the OSHP, members of whom were with Acton at the time as part of her protective unit.

The alleged incident took place at the Canfield Fair in Canfield, Ohio, located near Acton's hometown of Youngstown, around 60 miles outside of Cleveland.

"Dr. Acton and Eric are grateful for the swift and decisive action of law enforcement and are praying for the recovery of those injured," Addie Bullock, Acton's campaign spokesperson, said in a statement Sunday, referring to Acton's husband. "This kind of violence has no place in Ohio. Dr. Acton will always stand up to the chaos, hate and vitriol that pits us against one another."

Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine said in a statement earlier Sunday that the alleged incident occurred when a "man tried to forcefully push himself toward Dr. Acton as she was speaking and injured other attendees at the Mahoning County Democrat booth."

"Violence or the threat of violence at political or public events is always unacceptable," DeWine said in a statement on social media Sunday, adding that he and his wife spoke with Acton and "she said to share with Ohioans that she is ok."

"This case is now in the hands of law enforcement and will be investigated thoroughly," DeWine said.

Acton previously served under DeWine when he appointed her as director of the Ohio Department of Health in 2019.

She is now running for governor in the November general election against Republican nominee Vivek Ramaswamy, whose campaign also issued a statement Sunday.

"Candidates should be able to meet with voters without having to worry about threats or violence," Ramaswamy's communications director Connie Luck said in a statement. "What happened today is completely unacceptable and has no place in politics, and we hope that no one was hurt."

Ramaswamy was also scheduled to appear at the Canfield Fair Sunday afternoon. His campaign did not immediately respond to questions from ABC News about whether the event took place. 

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Miami -- Five people are dead and five people are injured after an Amazon Air cargo plane from Puerto Rico overran a runway at Miami International Airport, Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava said in a news conference Sunday evening.

The names of the deceased and the injured have not been released.

The National Transportation Safety Board said Sunday it is sending a team, led by NTSB Chairwoman Jennifer Homendy, to investigate the incident, which took place Sunday afternoon.

Both the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and Amazon confirmed the incident in separate statements.

"21 Air Flight 7598 overran the runway after landing at Miami International Airport around 2 p.m. local time on Sunday, Sept. 6. The Boeing 767-300 cargo aircraft departed from Luis Munoz Marin International Airport in San Juan, Puerto Rico," the FAA statement said.

"We can confirm that an Amazon Air plane operated by 21 Air experienced an incident while attempting to land at Miami International Airport today," Kelly Nantel, a spokesperson for Amazon, said in a statement, adding that it was a "fast-moving situation" and that Amazon was "working closely with local authorities and officials to understand exactly what happened."

"Right now, our absolute priority is the safety, well-being, and care of everyone involved. We're doing everything we can to support those affected," the statement added.

Preliminary data from Flightradar24 shows the plane was going approximately 128 mph as it went off the runway.

A ground stop at Miami International Airport was lifted around three hours after the incident, with two of the four runways now reopened, according to officials. 

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

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Severe, damaging thunderstorms targeted parts of the Southeast on Saturday, with more severe weather possible on Sunday.

Several homes were damaged due to fallen trees in Rogersville, Tennessee and the community of Persia, Tennessee, and injuries were reported. In North Carolina, Fayetteville Airport reported a 72 mph wind gust from thunderstorms.

On Sunday, a level 2 out of 5 "slight risk" for severe weather is in effect for parts of Georgia, North Carolina and South Carolina, including Atlanta, Savannah, Columbia, Charleston and Charlotte.

Damaging winds and flash flooding are the main threats, but some hail is also possible.

The same "slight risk" for severe weather exists Sunday in parts of Montana, including Great Falls and Butte. Damaging winds and large hail are the main threats with storms later today in the area.

While portions of the Southeast faced severe weather for the first part of the holiday weekend, it's important to note that overall, much of the country is experiencing quiet conditions weather-wise for the Labor Day holiday weekend.

For the Labor Day holiday on Monday, there is no organized severe weather threat as much of the country continues to enjoy rather tranquil weather. Some areas could still see scattered thunderstorms which could bring lightning, gusty winds and downpours in spots.

Triple-digit heat scorches the Southeast

Dangerous heat persists for millions as the holiday weekend continues, with more than 40 million Americans under heat alerts Sunday from Kansas to Georgia.

Heat indices are soaring into the triple digits across this large swath of the country later Sunday afternoon.

Cooler and more comfortable conditions continue to settle in for much of the Northeast and will do the same farther south along much of the East Coast later Sunday.

Afternoon high temperatures will be in the mid-80s in Washington, D.C., Sunday and in the 70s in New York City Sunday and on Monday.

Raleigh, North Carolina will see highs decrease to the mid-80s Sunday after a long stretch of brutal heat.

However, parts of the Plains and South will remain very hot through the new workweek. An Extreme Heat Warning remains in place for Kansas City through Tuesday. Highs will be in the mid-90s each day, with feels-like temperatures up to 105 degrees during the afternoon.

Flash flood threat

On Sunday, the potential for flash flooding returns to parts of the Southwest, with a level 2 of 4 risk over parts of southern Nevada, northern Arizona and Utah.

This includes many national parks in Arizona and Utah on Sunday, including Grand Canyon National Park, Zion National Park and Bryce Canyon National Park, all which recently experienced significant flash flooding impacts from monsoon storms.

A Flood Watch has been posted for Sunday across portions of Utah, including Cedar City, Beaver Richfield and Price, as well as Zion National Park and Bryce Canyon National Park.

While the threat is not as widespread and intense as the previous event, scattered thunderstorms later in the day could bring downpours and frequent lightning. Flash flooding is possible where the heaviest rain develops.

Any burn scar areas from recent wildfires in Utah and Arizona will be especially vulnerable to any heavy rain that falls on Sunday.

Tropical storm warning issued for parts of Hawaii

Hurricane Lowell and Tropical Storm Karina will bring high surf impacts to the Hawaiian Islands through the holiday weekend, while Lowell is expected to bring heavy rain to Hawaii.

The National Weather Service issued a tropical storm warning for Kauai County on Sunday, saying tropical storm conditions were expected for Kauai Northwest Waters, Kauai Windward Waters, Kauai Leeward Waters and Kauai Channel on Monday morning and lasting through Tuesday afternoon.

Lowell has weakened slightly back to a Category 3 hurricane, with maximum sustained winds of 125 mph. It's moving to the north-northwest at 6 mph with the center currently located roughly 600 miles southwest of Honolulu.

Lowell is forecast to remain a major hurricane over the next 24 hours but a weakening trend is expected to take over as it continues its turn to the north. The tropical system is still forecast to pass west of the main Hawaiian Islands late Monday into Tuesday.

Lowell is already bringing high surf to the south- and southeast-facing shores of the islands. A High Surf Advisory in effect for waves up to 12 feet along these shorelines.

While landfall is not expected, some of the outer bands of Lowell could impact the western Hawaiian Islands early this week.
 

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(NEW YORK) -- The murder trial of Lindsay Clancy, the Massachusetts mom who killed her three young children while in the family's home on Jan. 24, 2023, has ended in a mistrial after seven days of juror deadlock.

Clancy's defense attorney, Kevin Reddington, claims she was suffering from postpartum psychosis when she strangled her children and attempted to take her own life. The prosecutors, Jennifer Sprague and Shanan Buckingham, argue that Clancy -- who pleaded not guilty to three counts of first-degree murder -- is criminally responsible for her children's deaths.

Judge William Sullivan, who is overseeing the trial, has set a court date of Sept. 29, 2026, to reconvene and determine next steps.

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(NEW YORK) -- An Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent who is accused of shooting a Venezuelan man in Minneapolis in January and then lying about the incident was charged with six federal counts of making materially false statements, according to a copy of the federal indictment unsealed Friday. 

The charges mark the first federal case by the Trump administration against an ICE officer involved in its nationwide immigration surge enforcement operations. 

The charges come just one week after Christian Castro, 52, was released from jail by authorities amid an extradition dispute over separate state-level charges leveled against him by officials in Minnesota. 

The federal case stems from statements Castro allegedly made following shots he fired on Jan. 14 at the front door of a home in Minneapolis amid the Trump administration's immigration crackdown in the city, one of which hit the leg of Venezuelan immigrant Julio Sosa-Celis, according to the indictment.

Sosa-Celis was charged by the U.S. Attorney's Office in Minnesota following the shooting based on allegations leveled by Castro that Sosa-Celis and another individual in the residence attacked him, but the case was dropped after ICE said that video evidence surfaced showing Castro lied about the encounter.

The indictment accuses Castro of falsely claiming to the FBI that he only fired shots into the residence after being violently attacked by individuals using a broom and shovel to strike him. He is further accused of lying to the FBI after the shooting by claiming he fired one of the rounds while sitting after being attacked and claiming his scuffle with the man he was trying to apprehend prior to the shooting lasted "approximately three minutes," according to the indictment.

"This statement and representation was false because, as Castro then and there knew, the following facts were actually correct: The interaction described by Castro occurred over a period of approximately eleven seconds," the indictment stated.

Castro self-surrendered Thursday after being charged, according to sources familiar with the matter. He is expected to make his initial appearance before a federal judge in Texas on Friday.

An attorney for Castro could not immediately be reached for comment Thursday afternoon. 

In May, Castro was separately charged by Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty with four counts of second-degree assault and one count of falsely reporting a crime, leading to a bitter fight between state officials in Minnesota and Texas, where the ICE agent was arrested.

Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison sued Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, seeking to force Castro's extradition, but last week a federal judge ruled he had no authority to intervene in extradition disputes between the states. 

Castro has not yet entered a plea to the state or federal charges.

Career prosecutor involved in probe fired: Sources

The federal investigation into Castro has also led to new fallout between career prosecutors in Minnesota and officials at the Justice Department's headquarters in Washington, D.C., sources familiar with the matter told ABC News. 

A career prosecutor who had previously helped lead the investigation was fired Thursday, sources told ABC News, after ProPublica published a letter they obtained in which he claimed he was being stymied by senior DOJ officials in bringing a more significant civil rights charge against Castro. 

According to ProPublica, the assistant U.S. Attorney, Matthew Evans, said in the letter to Sosa-Celis' lawyer that the agent would likely only face lower-level false statements charges despite Evans' "strongest possible" objections. 

According to ProPublica, Evans said he believed the office had sufficient evidence to charge Castro with a more significant civil rights offense known as "deprivation of rights under color of law," but claimed U.S. Attorney Daniel Rosen and officials at Main Justice headquarters overruled him. 

Sources familiar with the matter told ABC News on Thursday that Evans has since been fired from the department and disputed his characterization of the investigation, saying the civil rights probe into Castro is still ongoing, and a determination still hasn't been made whether he'll face additional charges. 

ABC News was not immediately able to reach Evans for comment Thursday, and received an auto-reply from his office email stating he was now "on leave." 

A Justice Department spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment. 

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(MINNEAPOLIS) -- A man who allegedly shot and killed two residents and wounded several other people, including police officers, at his Minneapolis apartment building opened fire on the victims following a custody exchange, authorities said.

The suspect -- who was armed with a handgun -- is dead and an autopsy is underway, Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension Superintendent Drew Evans said at a news conference Thursday. His cause and manner of death are not clear but investigators believe he "died in an exchange of gunfire" with officers, Evans said.

Wednesday afternoon's shooting began outside the suspect's apartment building during what appeared to be an arranged custody exchange, Evans said. The gunman allegedly shot and wounded his child's mother, Evans said, adding that the child was able to escape and was not physically harmed.

As the gunman went inside the apartment building, he shot and wounded two building employees, Evans said.

The suspect then took the elevator to ninth floor -- where his apartment was -- and he allegedly shot and killed two men in their 60s who also lived in the building, Evans said.

Responding officers heard the gunfire and followed the sound to the ninth floor, where they encountered the suspect and exchanged gunfire, Evans said.

The suspect died and two officers were shot and injured, Evans said, noting that a third officer was not shot but also wounded.

When officers arrived on the ninth floor they "encountered a haze that significantly limited their visibility," Minneapolis Police Department spokesperson Garrett Parten said Wednesday.

Four officers "experienced adverse effects" from the hazy unknown substance, police said, and two additional officers were injured when their squad car was involved in a crash while responding to the shooting.

A motive is not clear, interim Minneapolis Police Chief Bill Peterson said Wednesday. Law enforcement sources told ABC News investigators are probing whether the suspect had some connection to the building, including whether he was a former or current tenant and whether he was under an eviction notice.

Asked about the potential eviction notice, Evans told reporters Thursday, "That will all be part of our investigation."

"The residents that were shot and killed on the ninth floor, the exact relationship he had with any of them, and whether or not they were a part of some of the information that was leading up to the eviction process that was underway by the building, is something that we will unpack, and I don't have specifics right now," Evans said.

Evans added, "This is once again a situation where domestic violence is center and central to a really terrible situation with multiple people shot. And the role that domestic violence continues to play in mass casualty incidents ... continues to be a problem."

ABC News' Luke Barr and Emily Shapiro contributed to this report.

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(NEW YORK) -- A Colorado judge ordered that Barry Morphew be confined to his home after the murder suspect was allegedly involved in a hit-and-run incident while out on $3 million bond, according to the judge's order.

Morphew is set to go on trial next year after being indicted on first-degree murder over the death of his wife, Suzanne Morphew, whose body was found more than three years after the mother of two was reported missing. He pleaded not guilty and has denied any involvement in her death.

In her order issued Wednesday, District Court Judge Amanda Hopkins said that earlier that day, a "concerned citizen" alerted her that Morphew was involved in a hit-and-run accident in Denver on Aug. 26, in which he is alleged to have been "driving aggressively prior to striking two vehicles."

One of the drivers filmed her encounter, according to the filing, which cited a CBS News Colorado report on the incident that included some of the footage.

In the video, a "person who is very clearly" Morphew "refused to provide his name or identification," the judge stated. He then offered to pay the driver $300 for the damage and is seen buffing scratches on her vehicle with his shirt and hand, according to the filing.

The truck involved in the incident had the same Indiana license plate that Morphew is "alleged to have used on more than one vehicle," according to a motion the prosecution filed in his murder case, the judge said.

"When the other driver refused the Defendant's offer of cash and indicates that she was calling the police, the Defendant leaves the scene, almost striking another individual and driving over a curb to do so," the judge stated.

Hopkins ordered Morphew's GPS provider to submit its monthly report and provide her with all information related to permissions he may have had to be away from his home at the time of the incident, though the judge said the provider did not comply. Prior reports have shown no violations of Morphew's conditions of release, the judge said.

The terms of that release included that Morphew only leave his home for medical appointments or emergencies, work, meetings with his legal team and court, and that he not commit any felony offenses, the judge said.

In the order issued Wednesday, the judge said Morphew must now remain in his home at all times, "no exceptions."

"If the Defendant has a medical emergency during that time, he can call 911 and be transported by ambulance," Hopkins stated.

She said a hearing will be set for next week to discuss his bond.

The judge noted that while there "may potentially be felonious conduct implicated by the actions of the Defendant during the traffic incident," Morphew has not been charged in the incident by the local jurisdiction.

Following the judge's order, prosecutors filed a motion to modify Morphew's bond conditions, including that he no longer be given exceptions from his house arrest and that the financial conditions of his bond be increased, "given the increased flight risk demonstrated by his behavior in the hit and run incident."

"His driving in this case appears to put others at risk, and were he to flee in the present case, that is a new consideration for the Court as it pertains to community safety," prosecutors stated. "The fact that the driving appears to be in direct response to impending police involvement indicates a willingness to flee police specifically."

ABC News has reached out to Morphew's attorneys for comment on the order but has not yet received a response.

Morphew is set to go on trial for murder in July 2027.

His wife was reported missing on Mother's Day in May 2020. Her remains were found in September 2023 while investigators were searching in an unrelated case. Her death was subsequently ruled a homicide.

Her death was determined to have been caused by homicide "by undetermined means in the setting of butorphanol, azaperone, and medetomidine intoxication," according to the autopsy.

Morphew had previously been charged with his wife's presumed murder in 2021, but those charges were dropped in April 2022, just before the trial was supposed to begin.

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(NEW YORK) -- Three Pennsylvania youth football coaches were charged Thursday, days after they were part of a massive brawl caught on video during the final minutes of a game, police said.

The clash took place during the final minutes of Saturday's game between Carlynton and Keystone Oaks, who were made up of 8 and 9-year-old players, in Carnegie, a Pittsburgh suburb. Carlynton coach DeQuay Canton, 24, was seen screaming at the sideline of the opposing team and then confronted one of their coaches, Frank McGrath, 37, the criminal complaint said.

Although referees tried to separate them, the fight escalated as more Keystone Oaks coaches came onto the field and fought with the Canton, according to the criminal complaint.

At one point during the fight, another Keystone Oaks coach, Joseph Kobiak, 35, and the Canton were seen throwing a punch at the other's head as bystanders looked on and called to watch the kids, according to the video and the criminal complaint.

On Thursday, the Carnegie Police Department charged Canton with disorderly conduct and harassment. The police allege he threw punches "which would have caused substantial harm and most definitely caused serious inconvenience."

Police also charged McGrath and Kobiak by summons with disorderly conduct and harassment for participating in the fight.

The investigation is ongoing. Attorney information for the coaches wasn't immediately available.

Steel City Youth Football League, which organized the game, said in a statement Monday that it suspended two coaches involved in the fight indefinitely.

The two teams independently suspended five additional members involved in the clash, according to the league.

"League officials are reviewing video footage, referee reports, and witness statements. The scope of this inquiry is not limited to the ejected individuals; the investigation may expand to include additional personnel, coaches, or spectators found to be involved," Steel City Youth Football League said in a statement.

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(NEW YORK) -- After 30 hours of deliberations spanning five days, the jury in the murder trial of Lindsay Clancy has still not reached a verdict.

The extensive deliberations followed weeks of testimony concerning whether or not Clancy was suffering from postpartum psychosis when she strangled her children and attempted to take her own life in January 2023 and whether she should be held criminally liable for the killings.

On Wednesday afternoon, after the jury reported they were at an impasse for a second time in as many days, Judge William Sullivan read the jury a Tuey-Rodriguez instruction, encouraging them to continue working together toward a verdict.

The Tuey-Rodriguez instruction urges jurors to remember it is their "duty to decide this case if you can do so conscientiously," reminding them "there is no reason to suppose that the case will ever be submitted to six persons who are more intelligent, more impartial, or more competent to decide it than you are, or that more or clearer evidence will be produced on one side or the other."

Boston-based criminal defense attorney Peter Elikann said sending the jury back to deliberate again may force a hung jury if the deadlock continues.

"At that point, the judge has to declare a mistrial, unless he has the consent of the jury who would want to go out again, and that's rather doubtful," Elikann said in an interview with ABC News on Wednesday.

"This is really it. This is kind of the final push," Elikann added.

If a mistrial is declared, one of several next steps may transpire, according to ABC News legal analyst Brian Buckmire.

"First and foremost, the defense is probably going to ask for bail, some amount of money or release, that she does not have to be incarcerated pending the prosecution decision as to whether or not they're going to retry her," Buckmire said in an interview Wednesday.

Buckmire said the prosecution could make the decision to retry her "right then and there" or in the near future following a mistrial declaration.

Elikann said the prosecution could also choose to drop the case, though he added, "That's not all that likely."

Buckmire said a second trial is a likely scenario, in his opinion.

The second option, according to the attorneys, could be plea negotiations.

"In many cases, the prosecution, after having a deadlocked jury, will kind of say to the defense, 'Let's compromise. We'll break down the charges to something much lesser, and can we agree on that, that you'll plead to something, a much more minor charge,'" Elikann said.

Buckmire said it is possible, however, that prosecutors would not want to lessen any of the charges moving forward.

Speaking to the deliberations and the jury's inability thus far to reach a verdict in this case, Elikann said this sort of result was both rare and, in some ways, predictable.

"Most of the time, probably all the lawyers will tell you the conventional wisdom is that [an] insanity defense almost never works," he said, adding it usually ends in a conviction.

Elikann explained that Clancy's case was different.

"Everybody had a sense that they would never get 12 people to convict her of first-degree murder. And it was anticipated, by many people, that this would be either not guilty by reason of insanity or a hung jury," he said.

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(NEW YORK) -- Women's liberation icon Gloria Steinem has died at 92.

"Yesterday, Gloria Steinem passed away peacefully at her home in New York City, surrounded by some of the many who loved her," a post on an official social media channel said. "Gloria’s near-century on earth were years well-lived, and she continued working for equality until the very end."

The outspoken activist and journalist was born on March 25, 1934, in Toledo, Ohio. She studied government at Smith College in Massachusetts, and graduated magna cum laude in 1956.

Afterward, she spent two years studying and researching in India thanks to the Chester Bowles Fellowship, which inspired her grassroots activism later in life.

She would become known as one of the most prominent figures in the modern feminist movement, tackling politics, abortion, marriage and more through her writings and speeches.

"When humans are ranked instead of linked, everyone loses," she said in her book, "My Life on the Road."

In an interview with NPR, Steinem spoke about getting pregnant when she was 22 and seeking out an illegal abortion in 1957.

"I just knew that if I went home and married, which I would've had to do, it would be to the wrong person; it would be to a life that wasn't mine, that wasn't mine at all," she said in the interview.

"My Life on the Road" is dedicated to the doctor who recommended her for the abortion, Dr. John Sharpe.

The dedication read: "Knowing that she had broken an engagement at home to seek an unknown fate, he said, 'You must promise me two things. First, you will not tell anyone my name. Second, you will do what you want to do with your life.' Dear Dr. Sharpe, I believe you, who knew the law was unjust, would not mind if I say this so long after your death: I've done the best I could with my life."

At first, Steinem struggled to gain footing in the male-dominated journalism industry as a reporter on politics and social justice issues.

"I was angry because young men in politics were treated like rising stars and young women were treated like - well - young women," she wrote.

She continued, "I was angry about the human talent that was lost just because it was born into a female body, and the mediocrity that was rewarded because it was born into a male one."

She gained national attention in 1963 for her reporting on the working conditions at Hugh Hefner's Playboy Club.

In the exposé, she revealed the "not-so-glamorous, sexist, and underpaid life of the bunny/waitresses," according to the National Women's History Museum.

In 1968, she helped found New York magazine, and worked as an editor and political writer, largely focusing on the women's liberation movement, the National Women's History Museum reported. She also helped found the feminist magazine, "Ms."

In 1971, she was one of the founders of the National Women's Political Caucus, alongside other icons such as Congresswoman Shirley Chisholm.

The caucus remains the only "national organization dedicated exclusively to increasing women's participation in all areas of political and public life," according to the organization's website.

It was founded after Congress failed to pass the Equal Rights Amendment, and was spurred by the belief that "legal, economic and social equity would come about only when women were equally represented among the nation's political decision-makers."

She continued her advocacy work throughout her life, through her books and lectures, uplifting the civil rights and anti-racism movements along the way.

"We are here and around the world for a deep democracy that says we will not be quiet," she said at the 2017 Women's March on Washington. "We will not be controlled. We will work for a world in which all countries are connected. God may be in the details but the goddess is in connections."

Steinem was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1986. She overcame the disease after undergoing surgery and radiation treatment.

Her husband, entrepreneur and animal rights activist David Charles Howard Bale, died in 2003. Steinem, who famously denounced marriage as an institution, married Bale in 2000 and said her mind was changed because "marriage changed," according to The New Yorker.

She continued, "We spent 30 years in the United States changing the marriage laws. If I had married when I was supposed to get married, I would have lost my name, my legal residence, my credit rating, many of my civil rights. That's not true anymore. It's possible to make an equal marriage."

The post announcing her death said Steinem spent her recent years "being in community with others and writing." It also included a quote, which is said was from the writer's forthcoming book, "An Unexpected Life."

"I have now lived for more than fifty years in this brownstone," she wrote, "in rooms that have witnessed lives before mine, and will know others after I am gone."

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(MINNEAPOLIS, Minn.) -- Two people are dead and multiple others injured after gunfire broke out in a high-rise apartment building in downtown Minneapolis on Wednesday, authorities said.

Two Minneapolis police officers are among those injured by gunfire, according to police.

The suspected shooter is dead, according to interim Police Chief Bill Peterson, who told reporters at a press briefing he was "truly sickened by this level of violence."

Officers responded to reports of a shooting at the building at 15 E. Grand St. shortly after 4:30 p.m. Wednesday.

Inside, officers encountered victims in the lobby and heard additional gunfire, Minneapolis Police Department spokesperson Garrett Parten told reporters at an earlier press briefing. "Officers followed the sound of gunfire to the upper floor of the building, and on that floor, officers encountered a haze that significantly limited their visibility," Parten said.

At a follow-up press conference, the interim police said police said they weren't sure yet what caused the haze.

A total of seven people were shot, authorities said.

One of the shooting victims was found dead at the scene, while a second died at a hospital, police said. Three other shooting victims were transported from the scene, according to police.

Of the wounded officers, one was shot in the leg and another was shot twice in the abdomen, the mayor said.

That officer was undergoing surgery, authorities said. A third officer was being evaluated for an apparent non-life-threatening injury, according to police.

In addition, four officers experienced adverse effects after "being exposed to an unknown airborne substance," police said in a news release. Two other officers were hurt when their squad car was involved in a crash while responding to the scene.

Peterson said it was his understanding that the officers were expected to make a full recovery.

It is unclear how the suspect died, police said. The interim chief said police were familiar with the suspect but said they do not yet have a motive.

Some of the victims lived in the building, Peterson said, but said police are still sorting that out.

In his remarks, the mayor praised the heroism of officers who he said rescued victims and brought people to safety "all while getting shot at themselves," Frey said.

"The one thing that is clear is that our Minneapolis police officers acted with incredible bravery and courage," he said.

In a statement on social media, Minnesota Gov. Tom Walz said he was relieved to hear the officers involved in the shooting were expected to make a full recovery. "We’re keeping all of the victims in our prayers as more information about this tragic shooting unfolds," he said.

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(NEW YORK) -- Women's liberation icon Gloria Steinem has died at 92.

"Yesterday, Gloria Steinem passed away peacefully at her home in New York City, surrounded by some of the many who loved her," a post on an official social media channel said. "Gloria’s near-century on earth were years well-lived, and she continued working for equality until the very end."

The outspoken activist and journalist was born on March 25, 1934, in Toledo, Ohio. She studied government at Smith College in Massachusetts, and graduated magna cum laude in 1956.

Afterward, she spent two years studying and researching in India thanks to the Chester Bowles Fellowship, which inspired her grassroots activism later in life.

She would become known as one of the most prominent figures in the modern feminist movement, tackling politics, abortion, marriage and more through her writings and speeches.

"When humans are ranked instead of linked, everyone loses," she said in her book, "My Life on the Road."

In an interview with NPR, Steinem spoke about getting pregnant when she was 22 and seeking out an illegal abortion in 1957.

"I just knew that if I went home and married, which I would've had to do, it would be to the wrong person; it would be to a life that wasn't mine, that wasn't mine at all," she said in the interview.

"My Life on the Road" is dedicated to the doctor who recommended her for the abortion, Dr. John Sharpe.

The dedication read: "Knowing that she had broken an engagement at home to seek an unknown fate, he said, 'You must promise me two things. First, you will not tell anyone my name. Second, you will do what you want to do with your life.' Dear Dr. Sharpe, I believe you, who knew the law was unjust, would not mind if I say this so long after your death: I've done the best I could with my life."

At first, Steinem struggled to gain footing in the male-dominated journalism industry as a reporter on politics and social justice issues.

"I was angry because young men in politics were treated like rising stars and young women were treated like - well - young women," she wrote.

She continued, "I was angry about the human talent that was lost just because it was born into a female body, and the mediocrity that was rewarded because it was born into a male one."

She gained national attention in 1963 for her reporting on the working conditions at Hugh Hefner's Playboy Club.

In the exposé, she revealed the "not-so-glamorous, sexist, and underpaid life of the bunny/waitresses," according to the National Women's History Museum.

In 1968, she helped found New York magazine, and worked as an editor and political writer, largely focusing on the women's liberation movement, the National Women's History Museum reported. She also helped found the feminist magazine, "Ms."

In 1971, she was one of the founders of the National Women's Political Caucus, alongside other icons such as Congresswoman Shirley Chisholm.

The caucus remains the only "national organization dedicated exclusively to increasing women's participation in all areas of political and public life," according to the organization's website.

It was founded after Congress failed to pass the Equal Rights Amendment, and was spurred by the belief that "legal, economic and social equity would come about only when women were equally represented among the nation's political decision-makers."

She continued her advocacy work throughout her life, through her books and lectures, uplifting the civil rights and anti-racism movements along the way.

"We are here and around the world for a deep democracy that says we will not be quiet," she said at the 2017 Women's March on Washington. "We will not be controlled. We will work for a world in which all countries are connected. God may be in the details but the goddess is in connections."

Steinem was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1986. She overcame the disease after undergoing surgery and radiation treatment.

Her husband, entrepreneur and animal rights activist David Charles Howard Bale, died in 2003. Steinem, who famously denounced marriage as an institution, married Bale in 2000 and said her mind was changed because "marriage changed," according to The New Yorker.

She continued, "We spent 30 years in the United States changing the marriage laws. If I had married when I was supposed to get married, I would have lost my name, my legal residence, my credit rating, many of my civil rights. That's not true anymore. It's possible to make an equal marriage."

The post announcing her death said Steinem spent her recent years "being in community with others and writing." It also included a quote, which is said was from the writer's forthcoming book, "An Unexpected Life."

"I have now lived for more than fifty years in this brownstone," she wrote, "in rooms that have witnessed lives before mine, and will know others after I am gone."

Copyright © 2026, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(NEW YORK) -- A 23-year-old man wanted in the fatal shooting of a Georgia police officer has been found after a manhunt ensued.

Jimmie Steverson, 23, is believed to have shot Chris Fisher, a Warm Springs Police Department officer, who was killed just before midnight, according to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation.

On Tuesday night, Fisher concluded an unrelated traffic stop while on duty and in his patrol car in the parking lot of Meriwether Country Inn, according to GBI.

While he was stopped a black 2026 Chevrolet Silverado stopped beside Fisher's patrol car, according to GBI.

"The driver, later identified as Jimmy Lee Steverson, age 23, of Warm Springs, GA, then fired multiple shots into Officer Fisher’s patrol vehicle, hitting Officer Fisher. Steverson then fled the parking lot," according to GBI.

Fisher was pronounced dead at the scene and his body will be taken for an autopsy, according to GBI.

On Wednesday at around 11:30 a.m., the Anderson County Sheriff’s Office initiated a traffic stop on a car in Anderson, South Carolina and found Steverson, who was a passenger in the car, according to GBI.

"When law enforcement made contact with the car, they discovered Steverson injured from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound. Steverson was transported to a local hospital," GBI said in a statement.

Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp said he is "deeply saddened" by the news of Fisher's killing.

"This is a tragic reminder of the dangers law enforcement face on a daily basis in service to their communities, and I ask that all Georgians lift up Fisher’s family and his fellow officers in prayer," Kemp said in a post on X.

This investigation is active and ongoing. Anyone with information is encouraged to contact the GBI Midland Regional Investigative Office at 706-565-7888. 

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(NEW YORK) -- The parents of a 5-year-old girl who was found dead after being reported missing in South Carolina have been arrested in connection with her death, with arrest warrants alleging they misled authorities during the search for their autistic child.

Saylor Hayes of Virginia went missing on Sunday after wandering away from a rental home in Pawleys Island, South Carolina, according to local authorities.

During an extensive search involving hundreds of people and multiple agencies, her body was found the following day in waters near where she was last seen, according to the Georgetown County Sheriff's Office.

Her parents -- John Herb Hayes III, 70, and Geordyn Nichole Hayes, 31, of Bristol, Virginia -- were arrested on Tuesday. They have been charged with unlawfully placing a child at risk/willfully abandoning a child "for their actions in the disappearance and subsequent death of their child," the Georgetown County Sheriff's Office said.

The couple were arrested in Carter County, Tennessee, and are awaiting extradition proceedings to be brought back to Georgetown County to face their charges, authorities said.

Arrest warrants for the parents allege that they placed Saylor "at an unreasonable risk of harm affecting her life and safety by failing to provide supervision and safeguards appropriate for a severely nonverbal, autistic five-year-old child with known affinity to water and history of elopement."

The girl had been equipped with a monitoring device since 2024, though the device was removed prior to the family leaving Virginia, according to the warrants.

"After the child was discovered missing, the defendant encouraged search efforts to be directed toward the use of tracking technology, despite knowing that the child was not wearing the monitoring device," the warrant for each parent stated.

The parents are also accused of directing search efforts away from a body of water near where they had allegedly left Saylor unsupervised, according to the warrants.

"The death of Saylor Hayes is a heartbreaking tragedy that has deeply affected our community and everyone who worked so hard to find her," Georgetown County Sheriff Carter Weaver said in a statement. "From the beginning, our responsibility has been to follow the evidence wherever it led. Following an extensive investigation, Saylor's parents have been arrested and charged under South Carolina law relating to unlawfully placing a child at risk of or causing harm, or willfully abandoning a child."

"Saylor was a vulnerable five-year-old child who depended upon the adults responsible for her care and protection," he added. "She deserved to be safe. She deserved to be protected."

The parents remain in custody in the Carter County Detention Center, online jail records show. It is unclear if they have an attorney at this time.

The sheriff's office in Washington County, Virginia, where Saylor lived, said the child had been enrolled in its monitoring program, Project Lifesaver, since June 2024. In the program, individuals who are at risk of wandering wear a transmitter that emits an individualized radio frequency, "allowing specially trained personnel to track and locate them if they become missing," the office said in a statement on Tuesday.

The Washington County Sheriff's Office said it provided authorities in Georgetown County with Saylor's assigned frequency after they requested it on Sunday, though search personnel were unable to detect it.

Washington County authorities subsequently tracked her transmitter to a vehicle at her residence in Bristol, the sheriff's office said. The transmitter can only be removed by physically cutting the band it's attached to, the office noted.

"Project Lifesaver works, and we believe strongly in this program," Washington County Sheriff Blake Andis said in a statement. "When our personnel searched for Saylor's assigned frequency, the equipment did exactly what it was designed to do. It detected her transmitter and led our personnel to its location."

"What makes this situation especially heartbreaking is that Saylor did not have her transmitter with her when she went missing," he continued. "Had Saylor been wearing her Project Lifesaver transmitter, we believe the technology could have assisted search teams in locating her much sooner."

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(NEW YORK) -- A Utah judge ruled that Tyler Robinson can stand trial on a capital murder charge stemming from the fatal shooting of conservative activist Charlie Kirk.

Judge Tony Graf's decision follows final oral arguments from both sides in the high-profile case in a Provo courtroom on Tuesday, during which attorneys primarily debated an aggravating factor that would make Robinson eligible for the death penalty if convicted.

"Viewed in the light most favorable to the prosecution, this evidence is sufficient at this stage to support a reasonable belief the defendant is the individual who shot and killed Charlie Kirk," Graf said.

The judge also found that there was a reasonable known risk of death to others at the time of the shooting, allowing prosecutors to pursue the death penalty.

A statement on behalf of the Kirk family said the judge's decision marked an important step in their pursuit of justice.

"Every step in this process carries the weight of all that Charlie’s murder has taken from his family, especially his children who will grow up without their father," the statement said. "We are grateful to all who have continued to pray for us, support us, and stand with us through a year of unimaginable grief."

The statement continued: "As the next phase of the judicial process begins, our family remains united in our love for Charlie, our commitment to the pursuit of justice, and our prayer for a transparent and timely process."

Robinson is accused of killing Kirk with a rifle shot fired from a building's rooftop approximately 415 feet from where the co‑founder of the conservative student organization Turning Point USA was speaking at an outdoor rally at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah, on Sept. 10, 2025.

The 23-year-old suspect was charged with aggravated murder, a capital felony, which alleges that others were knowingly endangered in the shooting. He was also charged with felony discharge of a firearm causing serious bodily injury, obstruction of justice, witness tampering and commission of a violent offense in the presence of a child.

Judge Graf found probable cause for Robinson to stand trial on all charges. Not guilty pleas were entered on the defendant's behalf following the judge's ruling.

Prosecutors have said they plan to seek the death penalty in the case.

"The defendant, this man, Tyler James Robinson, shot and killed Charlie Kirk because he disagreed with him, and he did it by firing a high-powered rifle into a crowd of over 3,000 people, which created a great risk of death that anyone would know about," Utah County prosecutor Ryan McBride told the judge during Tuesday's hearing.

McBride said there is a "mountain of evidence" proving Robinson is the gunman who killed Kirk -- citing video footage, DNA evidence on the suspected murder weapon and an alleged admission by Robinson in a note to his boyfriend -- and argued that the alleged politically motivated shooting posed a great risk of death to others, including children, who were at the rally.

"It's not that the defendant didn't see all these people. He obviously did. He had to. It's that he didn't care," McBride said. "He came on a mission to kill Charlie Kirk, and if he missed, so be it. He was prepared to take other shots. Let the casualties be what they may."

Defense attorney Staci Visser asked the judge to strike the "great risk of death" aggravating factor that makes the offense eligible for the death penalty, arguing during Tuesday's hearing that it's not supported by the facts of the case.

"There's nothing in this evidence showing that there was a great risk that someone else was going to be killed," she said.

Defense attorneys also challenged charges and enhancements alleging that Robinson knew children were present during the shooting, tampered with a witness by telling his boyfriend to "ask for a lawyer and stay silent" if questioned by the police, and targeted Kirk because of the conservative activist's political expression.

"There's no evidence as to really what was in Mr. Robinson's mind, if in fact he was the shooter, about Charlie Kirk, because we have no testimony that Mr. Robinson had ever spoken about Charlie Kirk, that he had ever heard anything he'd said, that he'd ever discussed anything," defense attorney Richard Novak said during Tuesday's hearing.

During a week-long preliminary hearing in July, prosecutors called several law enforcement witnesses and presented a series of security videos allegedly placing Robinson at the scene of the shooting. One of the videos showed Robinson on the roof of the building where the fatal shot that killed Kirk was fired from, prosecutors alleged.

Prosecutors also presented a video statement from Robinson's roommate and romantic partner, Lance Twiggs, who claimed in a redacted videotaped interview with prosecutors and detectives that Robinson confessed to killing Kirk in a letter, text messages, and in person.

In a written argument filed ahead of Tuesday's hearing, prosecutors said they showed there is enough probable cause to warrant a trial.

"This is likely as straightforward a bind-over decision as this Court will ever see," prosecutors stated.

In its written argument, the defense countered that the state failed to establish probable cause due to its "extensive use" of hearsay evidence that it said was not assessed for reliability.

"For this reason alone, the Court must decline bindover," the defense stated.

The defense cited alleged communications between Robinson and Twiggs, who did not testify in the preliminary hearing, that were admitted through Twigg's videotaped interview.

Defense attorneys also argued in the filing that prosecutors failed to meet the burden of proof for the aggravated murder charge.

Prosecutors alleged in their filing that Robinson "fired a high-powered rifle towards a crowd of thousands," endangering the lives of "everyone who was in his line of fire" or near Kirk. In response, the defense said only a single shot was fired above the crowd and argued that the evidence does not support that "the shooter was aware that there was a high probability that someone else may die from his single gunshot that hit the intended victim."

ABC News' Alex Stone and Bill Hutchinson contributed to this report.

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(NEW YORK) -- A Pennsylvania police officer has been charged with voluntary manslaughter stemming from the fatal shooting this month of a college student whose parents said he was mistaken for a burglar after knocking on the door of a residence he wrongly thought was a friend's house, authorities said.

Cpl. Sean Farrell, a veteran member of the Upper Pottsgrove Township Police Department, was charged in the Aug. 23 death of Glenwood "Bubba" Pysher, Montgomery County District Attorney Kevin R. Steele announced at a news conference Tuesday.

Steele said he is "obligated under the law" to charge Farrell, who allegedly shot Pysher twice after responding to a 911 call from a homeowner reporting a break-in in progress.

"At the time these two fatal shots were fired, Mr. Pysher had his hands up," Steele said, citing footage from Farrell's body-worn camera. "He had no weapon. He did not charge the officer or act aggressively in any way. He was not a threat to the homeowners who were inside their residence."

Steele further said that the body-worn camera video, which he did not play but from which he released a still image, showed Farrell claim to a colleague after the shooting that Pysher “charged” him while “screaming and yelling.”

“The body-worn camera video does not depict Pysher charging and does not depict yelling or screaming prior to the shooting,” Steele said.

Pysher's parents told ABC News last week that before the shooting, their son had been out bar-hopping with a group celebrating a friend's 21st birthday.

Pysher's mother, Erin Pysher, said that when the group decided to move the celebration to a friend's house, her son walked to what he wrongly thought was the correct address.

"He was walking down the road to what he thought was his friend's house. And after some drinks, he ended up walking in the dark at night. I guess he got mixed up, and he made a wrong turn and went to the wrong house," Erin Pysher said in a phone interview with ABC News.

Pysher said her son was a student at Saint Elizabeth University in Morris Township, New Jersey, and was expected to begin the new school year last week.

Steele said on Tuesday that while Pysher was apparently inebriated, he was complying with Farrell's orders to put his hands up when he was shot.

"He was not trying to escape and he did not commit a forcible felony. This is not a legal use of lethal force under Pennsylvania law," Steele said.

Farrell is being arraigned on the voluntary manslaughter charge Tuesday, according to Steele.

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