Kansas Man Charged With Threatening to Shoot President Trump
Source reports published 20 Oct 2026, 6:10 am – 8:59 am AEST
A Kansas man, Jaden John Read, has been charged with threatening to kill President Donald Trump after allegedly mapping rooftops near the president’s planned speech in Wichita and making online threats. Authorities apprehended him before the event.
What happened
- Jaden John Read, 24, of Clearwater, was charged Saturday with making threats against the president by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Kansas.
- The investigation began on October 15th following a Crime Stoppers tip regarding comments posted online.
- Read allegedly threatened to shoot President Trump and claimed to have mapped rooftops near the speech site.
- He also posted comments referencing ammunition and stating his intention to ‘get kirked.’
- Further investigation revealed additional threats posted beneath articles from KWCH 12 News and KAKE News.
- Read allegedly stated he knew where the speech would be and had studied nearby rooftops.
- U.S. Attorney Ryan A. Kriegshauser stated that political violence and threats of political violence will not be tolerated, emphasizing that while robust disagreement is protected, there are constitutional constraints.
- Read was taken into federal custody pending a detention hearing.
Original reporting
- Washington Examiner: Man charged in threat to ‘shoot Trump’ ahead of Kansas rally
2026-10-19T20:10:57+00:00 - Fox News: Kansas man mapped rooftops near Trump speech site, threatened to shoot president: DOJ
2026-10-19T22:59:12+00:00