Charlie Kirk, a Trump ally and rightwing activist, has been shot and killed at an event at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah. Here’s what we know so far:
Kirk, 31, died after being shot during a presentation on campus. Donald Trump announced the death in a Truth Social post, writing: “The Great, and even Legendary, Charlie Kirk, is dead. No one understood or had the Heart of the Youth in the United States of America better than Charlie.”
Kirk, the executive director of Turning Point USA (TPUSA), was shot at about 12.10pm local time while appearing at an event. In video posts circulating on social media, Kirk can be seen being struck while speaking and sitting beneath a tent. Video footage shows students on campus running away from the sound of a gunshot.
On Thursday morning, the FBI said officials recovered a “high-powered bolt action rifle” they believe to have been used to shoot Kirk. The weapon was found in a wooded area. Investigators also collected “footwear, impression, a palm print and forearm imprints for analysis”.
Utah officials said there was “good video footage” of the suspect, who moved to the other side of the building from where shots were thought to have been fired, jumped off the building and fled the campus. officials added that the shooter “blended in” and “appears to be of college age”.
The Salt Lake City FBI field office shared pictures of a person of interest in the shooting and offered a $100,000 reward for information leading to the identification and arrest of the person or people responsible. Two pictures posted on X show a person in black sunglasses, a baseball cap, a long sleeved black shirt and jeans. The FBI is asking for the public’s help identifying the person.
On Thursday, Trump announced he would award Kirk a posthumous Presidential Medal of Freedom during a ceremony at the Pentagon to mark the 24th anniversary of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.
One person detained at the scene, George Zinn, was deemed not to be a suspect but was charged with obstructing justice. A second person taken into custody was released after being interviewed. Neither had ties to the shooting, according to the university.
The shooting was “believed to be a targeted attack”, with the shooter firing from the roof of a building into the student courtyard, the university said.
Kirk was about 20 minutes into a presentation when a single shot was fired at him, the university said.
The university said it had six officers working alongside Kirk’s security team at the event, which was attended by roughly 3,000 people.
Trump blamed the violence on the rhetoric of the “radical left” in an evening video address, while the suspect’s identity and motives remained unconfirmed. Spencer Cox, Utah’s governor, called the killing a “political assassination”.
Political leaders in the US immediately condemned the attack. Joe Biden, the former US president, tweeted: “There is no place in our country for this kind of violence. It must end now. Jill and I are praying for Charlie Kirk’s family and loved ones.”
Barack Obama also condemned political violence, writing on X: “We don’t yet know what motivated the person who shot and killed Charlie Kirk, but this kind of despicable violence has no place in our democracy. Michelle and I will be praying for Charlie’s family tonight, especially his wife Erika and their two young children.”
Senior Democrats and Republicans also condemned the shooting. Gavin Newsom, Josh Shapiro, Kamala Harris, Chuck Schumer and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez were among Democrats who condemned the attack. JD Vance, Pam Bondi, Kristi Noem and Pete Hegseth paid tribute to Kirk and asked the public to pray for him.
The House speaker, Mike Johnson, told reporters at the Capitol: “Political violence has become all too common in American society. This is not who we are. It violates the core principles of our country.”
