A manhunt is underway after a figure was spotted hiding on a rooftop shortly after Charlie Kirk was killed in a "political assassination”.
Footage shared online appears to show someone in black clothing lying flat on their stomach on top of the Losee Center at Utah Valley University, just 130 meters from where the Turning Point USA founder, 31, was fatally shot.
Mr Kirk was in Orem on Wednesday for the first of 15 scheduled events at universities across the United States as part of his “American Comeback Tour”.
His wife Erika and two children, aged three and one, whose names are unknown to the public, were present during the event.
Prior to the shooting, Mr Kirk was taking questions from students at the outdoor courtyard on issues including mass shootings.
Additional footage shows an individual running across the roof of the Losee Center in the moments after the shooting. pic.twitter.com/5ouPzRynR3
— OSINTtechnical (@Osinttechnical) September 10, 2025
At approximately 12.10pm local time, around 20 minutes into his address, Mr Kirk was struck in the neck by a bullet as he fell from his chair, sparking pandemonium and sending attendees fleeing the area.
Student Sawyer Carr told the Daily Mail: “I hear a gun fire. Then his neck drops back, he starts gushing blood, and he just folds over.”
Speaking to the BBC, Porter Lafeber said: "Initially you don’t really realise what's happening until it’s happened. Charlie falls off his stool, everyone starts panicking, running in different directions."
Lafeber claims he hid for up to a minute and when he did not hear another gunshot he made his way to a nearby building.
"It was just uncertain,” he added. “You don’t know whether outside is safe or inside is safe. If there’s a shooter looking for more victims.”
"There’s people hiding in every corner, every elevator shaft – it’s a really terrifying moment."
It later transpired that only six police officers were at the rally that hosted more than 6,000 people. Mr Kirk also had his own security guards with him.
“I was expecting when I got here that I'd have to pass through some kind of security, but that just wasn't a thing,” witness Tyler McGettigan told NBC News.
Just got sent this video from UVU....it appears the shooter was on the roof. pic.twitter.com/eQLhL7yGDK
— Chris Hardman ⚡️ Sauna King (@chhardman) September 10, 2025
As the camera pans across the crowd of students Mr Kirk had addressed, an individual is seen running across the rooftop.
Police then told students to leave the university "immediately" and until further notice, with campus now closed until Sunday, September 14.
Despite the efforts of emergency services, Kirk was pronounced dead at 2.40pm local time by US President Donald Trump.
Two men were arrested at the scene but were quickly released without charge with police and FBI agents now desperately attempting to locate the marksman.
No details have been released by authorities regarding either the identity of a suspect or their potential motive.
But Spencer Cox, the Republican governor of Utah, called it a “political assasination” and vowed to catch the murderer, suggesting they will face the death penalty.
“To whoever did this: We will find you. We will try you and we will hold you accountable to the furthest extent of the law,” he told reporters.
The Department of Public Safety confirmed it is working at "multiple active crime scenes" based on where Kirk was shot, "as well as the locations where the suspect and victim travelled".
Mr Trump said he is "filled with grief and anger at the heinous assassination", calling it a "dark moment for America".
