Utah governor orders flags be flown at half-staff

Utah governor orders flags be flown at half-staff

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Utah Gov. Gary R. Herbert is ordering that state and national flags in Utah be lowered to half-staff in respect for victims of the overnight shooting in Thousand Oaks, California.

An announcement by Herbert’s office says the governor’s action is in coordination with a similar order by President Donald Trump and directs that flags be lowered until sunset on Saturday.

Herbert said in the statement that he was devastated by “yet another mass shooting in our country” and said his heart aches for families who lost loved ones whose lives were cut short by what Herbert called “this senseless and cruel act of violence.”

The statement encourages individuals and businesses to fly flags at half-staff for the same length of time.