Charlie Kirk, the conservative American activist and influential ally of United States President Donald Trump, has been shot dead at a university event in Utah in an apparent targeted assassination.
Trump announced the death of Kirk, the 31-year-old cofounder of activist youth group Turning Point USA, in a social media post on Wednesday.
“The Great, and even Legendary, Charlie Kirk, is dead,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform.
“No one understood or had the Heart of the Youth in the United States of America better than Charlie. He was loved and admired by ALL, especially me, and now, he is no longer with us.”
Trump said later that he had ordered flags across the US to be lowered to half-mast until Sunday in Kirk’s honour.
Utah authorities said Kirk, who, while speaking to students at an event at Utah Valley University, was killed with a single shot in what is believed to be a targeted attack.
Videos circulating online show Kirk addressing a large outdoor crowd when a shot rings out. Kirk is seen recoiling and raising his hand to his neck as he falls off his chair, sending the attendees running.
Utah Governor Spencer Cox called the shooting a “political assassination”.
“This is a dark day for our state. It is a tragic day for our nation,” Cox said at a news conference.
Cox condemned the apparent assassination as a threat to Americans’ right to discuss and debate ideas openly.
“Charlie Kirk was first and foremost a husband and dad to two young children,” Cox said.
“He was also very much politically involved, and that’s why he was here on campus. Charlie believed in the power of free speech and debate to shape ideas and to persuade people. Historically, our university campuses in this nation, and here in the state of Utah, have been the place where truth and ideas are formulated and debated.”
Democrats, including former Presidents Joe Biden and Barack Obama, joined the condemnation.
“There is no place in our country for this kind of violence,” Biden said. “It must end now. Jill and I are praying for Charlie Kirk’s family and loved ones.”
California Governor Gavin Newsom called Kirk’s assassination “disgusting, vile, and reprehensible.”
“In the United States of America, we must reject political violence in EVERY form,” Newsom said on X.
Beau Mason, commissioner of the Utah Department of Public Safety, said authorities were searching for a suspect “dressed in all dark clothing” who had opened fire from a roof.
“The only information we have on the suspect, the possible shooter, is taken from closed-circuit TV here on campus. We do have that. We’re analyzing it. But it is security camera footage, so you can kind of guess what the quality of that is,” Mason said at a news conference.
FBI director Kash Patel said a person who had been detained earlier was released following an interrogation by law enforcement.
“Our investigation continues and we will continue to release information in interest of transparency,” Patel said on X.
Spike in political violence
Kirk played a key role in driving youth support for Trump in the leadup to his re-election in November. His events at college campuses nationwide typically drew large crowds.
Former Utah Congressman Jason Chaffetz, a Republican who was at the event, said in an interview on Fox News Channel that he heard one shot and saw Kirk go back.
“It seemed like it was a close shot,” Chaffetz said.
He said there was a light police presence at the event, and Kirk had some security, but not enough.
“Utah is one of the safest places on the planet,” he said. “And so, we just don’t have these types of things.”
The shooting comes amid a spike in political violence in the US across all parts of the ideological spectrum.
The attacks include the assassination of a Minnesota state lawmaker and her husband at their house in June, the firebombing of a Colorado rally for Israeli captives in Gaza, and an arson attack in April on the Pennsylvania governor’s home.
The most notorious of these events was the shooting of Trump during a campaign rally last year.
Moments before he was shot, Kirk had been discussing gun violence with a member of the audience.
“Do you know how many transgender Americans have been mass shooters over the last 10 years?” the audience member asked.
Kirk replied: “Too many,” to which the questioner followed up: “Do you know how many mass shooters there have been in America over the last 10 years?”
“Counting or not counting gang violence?” Kirk said, after which a shot rang out.
Controversial guest speaker
Kirk’s visit to the university had been a source of controversy, with event dividing opinions on campus.
An online petition calling on the university to block the event, billed as part of Kirk’s “The American Comeback Tour,” accused the conservative activist of standing in opposition to “values of understanding, acceptance, and progress that many of us hold dear.”
The university said last week that it supported the right of student clubs and organisations to invite various speakers to campus as part of its commitment to “free speech, intellectual inquiry, and constructive dialogue.”
Founded in suburban Chicago in 2012 by Kirk and Tea Party activist William Montgomery, a Tea Party activist, Turning Point USA rose to prominence with its college events advocating conservative positions on issues such as taxes and gun rights.
From humble beginnings, the organisation attracted an influential set of conservative financiers, including the late investment manager Foster Friess and the Lynde and Harry Bradley Foundation.
After early misgivings, Turning Point USA enthusiastically backed Trump after he clinched the GOP nomination in 2016.
Kirk served as a personal aide to Donald Trump Jr, the president’s eldest son, during the general election campaign.
Soon, Kirk was a regular presence on cable TV, where he leaned into the culture wars and heaped praise on the then-president.
Trump and his son were equally effusive and often spoke at Turning Point conferences.
